UN DESA Population Division · International Migrants as a Share of Population
Migrants as a share of population by country
What share of each country's population are international migrants?
Of the 221 countries compared in 2024, Vatican City had the highest reading, 100.0000%, and Cuba had the lowest reading, 0.0195%. In the middle country the figure was 6.0886%. Among the 220 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 4.7320% to 6.1081%.
Share
Migrants as a share of population · 2024
Context statistic
Highest of 221Vatican City
100.0000%012024 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 221 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2024
Cuba0.0195%
Philippines0.0753%
China0.1155%
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Gabon17.7138% - Americas
Sint Maarten69.5456% - AsiaQatar76.6626%
- EuropeVatican City100.0000%
- Oceania
American Samoa50.6447% - Every region
02Every measured country
Migrants as a share of population on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.0195–1.0783%
- 1.1692–3.7903%
- 3.8294–10.1483%
- 10.1681–23.1443%
- 24.5021–100.0000%
- No reading in 2024
- Europe
14.5346%
the middle country, of 48 measured · 49 members
Vatican City100.0000%
Bosnia and Herzegovina1.0783%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
10.6807%
the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members
American Samoa50.6447%
Papua New Guinea0.2947%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
7.5262%
the middle country, of 47 measured · 48 members
Sint Maarten69.5456%Cuba0.0195%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
3.5027%
the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members
Qatar76.6626%Philippines0.0753%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
1.9966%
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Gabon17.7138%
Madagascar0.1208%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
25.5138%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Monaco70.1664%
France13.8046%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Micronesia
21.3275%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Guam50.1612%
Kiribati2.4547%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Western Asia
18.5789%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Qatar76.6626%
Iraq0.8057%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Europe
17.1330%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 13 members
Isle of Man51.9166%
Lithuania6.1276%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Caribbean
16.7675%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 24 members
Sint Maarten69.5456%Cuba0.0195%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
14.3091%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 17 members
Vatican City100.0000%Bosnia and Herzegovina1.0783%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Polynesia
10.6807%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
American Samoa50.6447%
Samoa1.7627%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Eastern Europe
6.0424%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Ukraine13.3760%
Romania3.4477%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South America
4.5869%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Suriname8.1809%
Brazil0.6634%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
3.8294%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana4.6170%
Lesotho0.6434%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
3.1289%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Macau59.2648%China0.1155%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Central Asia
2.7110%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan10.1483%
Turkmenistan2.5854%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Middle Africa
2.2076%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon17.7138%
São Tomé and Príncipe0.8300%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
1.9448%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Côte d’Ivoire9.0212%
Sierra Leone0.5785%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Southern Asia
1.6619%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Maldives14.2287%
Sri Lanka0.1762%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
1.5976%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Djibouti10.7807%Madagascar0.1208%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Melanesia
1.0114%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
New Caledonia26.2228%Papua New Guinea0.2947%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Central America
1.0014%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Belize16.4734%
Honduras0.3686%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Northern Africa
0.7661%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Libya12.1630%
Morocco0.2917%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
0.5928%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore48.7222%Philippines0.0753%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia30.3648%
New Zealand28.1551%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
Bermuda31.2071%
Greenland10.4083%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
221 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 6.0886%; a quarter are above 17.1330%, and a quarter below 1.6618%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.
04All 221 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better. The highest shares are in very small states and in Gulf countries whose workforces are largely foreign — and those countries count by citizenship rather than birthplace, so the type of data beside each row matters when two figures are compared.
Showing 25 of 221 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2020 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2024 · 8 reference years
Over time
Each point is one of eight reference years from 1990, as restated by the 2024 revision. A rising share can mean more arrivals or a shrinking population born at home; the number of migrants, on its own page, tells which.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 220 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 221 | 6.0886% | 1.6618% – 17.1330% | 6.1081% |
| 2020 | 221 | 4.6777% | 1.6832% – 15.8754% | 4.8317% |
| 2015 | 221 | 4.6644% | 1.4970% – 14.8081% | 4.6708% |
| 2010 | 221 | 4.2985% | 1.4440% – 14.3338% | 4.3219% |
| 2005 | 220 | 4.3294% | 1.5040% – 13.4869% | 4.3294% |
| 2000 | 220 | 4.7729% | 1.4196% – 12.5622% | 4.7729% |
| 1995 | 220 | 4.6045% | 1.4953% – 12.7564% | 4.6045% |
| 1990 | 220 | 4.7320% | 1.3774% – 13.4035% | 4.7320% |
062020 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after
Aruba49.9004% → 68.0084%+18.1081
Malta22.1456% → 36.9651%+14.8195
Curaçao30.9213% → 43.1417%+12.2203
Iceland17.8455% → 25.1192%+7.2737
Cook Islands29.2719% → 35.9604%+6.6885
Fell most
before → after
Lebanon27.8189% → 24.5021%−3.3168
Gibraltar30.9347% → 28.7091%−2.2256- United Arab Emirates76.0330% → 73.9721%−2.0609
Saudi Arabia42.1773% → 40.2907%−1.8866
Kuwait68.8780% → 67.3460%−1.5320
221 countries were measured in both 2020 and 2024.
07Across every edition
Migrants as a share of population in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
100.0000%
International migrants (% of population)
Lowest reading on record
0.0195%
International migrants (% of population)
Biggest rise between editions
+36.6758
40.8616% → 77.5374%
Biggest fall between editions
−36.6772
77.5388% → 40.8616%
Biggest change since first measured
+45.5914
22.4171% → 68.0084%
Highest most often
8 of 8
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08By sex
Inside the number
UN DESA Population Division also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 221 countries with both readings, the women who are international migrants reading is higher in 88, the men who are international migrants reading in 132, and they are equal in 1. The widest gaps each way:
09The measure
About migrants as a share of population
This is the share of a country's population made up of international migrants — people born abroad, or foreign citizens where a country counts by citizenship, including refugees. The same share among women and among men is shown beside it.
What the number is: International migrants (% of population).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Mobility & Trade and People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Mobility & TradePeople & PopulationWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where migrants as a share of population is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Labour Productivity per Hour WorkedILO · 182 countries in commonρ 0.75
- GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 168 countries in commonρ 0.74
- GDP per Capita (PPP)KeyWorld Bank Group · 184 countries in commonρ 0.72
Moves against
Where migrants as a share of population is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Employment in AgricultureILO · 182 countries in commonρ −0.74
- Vulnerable EmploymentKeyILO · 182 countries in commonρ −0.73
- Self-Employment RateILO · 182 countries in commonρ −0.73
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 386 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Migrants as a share of population: questions and answers
Which country has the highest migrants as a share of population?
Vatican City, at 100.0000%, among the 221 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest migrants as a share of population?
Cuba, at 0.0195%, among the 221 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the International Migrants as a Share of Population cover?
221 in 2024. The number measured varies from 220 to 221 between editions.
What is the world average migrants as a share of population?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 221 compared in 2024, the figure was 6.0886%.
Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the International Migrants as a Share of Population published?
This site holds 8 reference years, 1990–2024, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 8 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From International Migrant Stock 2024, Table 3 of the UN Population Division's own workbook. The World Bank's copy rounds the share to one decimal, which can turn a small reading into a zero; the Division's file keeps every digit. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
International Migrants as a Share of Population — UN DESA Population Division
From International Migrant Stock 2024, Table 3 of the UN Population Division's own workbook. The World Bank's copy rounds the share to one decimal, which can turn a small reading into a zero; the Division's file keeps every digit.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). International Migrant Stock 2024.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Migrants as a share of population by country: International Migrants as a Share of Population, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/international-migrants-share