There are over 200 million international migrants in the world. Together they represent some 3% of the world’s population. Over the last forty years, although numbers have risen, the proportion has remained much the same.
DFID’s interest in migration covers not only international migration over long distances but people who migrate within their particular region or within developing countries.
Most international migration is between developing countries or between developed and other developed countries. The numbers of people who migrate across international frontiers is much less than people who move within their own country – for example, seasonal migrants in India or China. Migration, especially over long distances, can be a costly and expensive business and most poor people who migrate move within their own country, or stay within the region.
Migration can be a positive force for development in many ways. For example, the money sent to developing countries by migrants can be several times more than the value of official development assistance.
Migration has always been a way in which people have sought to improve their livelihoods. It has also been a way for skilled people to improve their skills or develop their careers. But there is also need to guard against the negative effects of migration, such as the risk of exacerbating skill shortages in certain vulnerable sectors.