Migration to rich countries hits record high – report

More than 6 million permanent-type migrants reportedly arrived in developed countries last year

Permanent migration to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries has continued to grow, setting a new record in 2023, according to a new report. The number of temporary migrants and asylum seekers has also risen sharply.

The OECD is an international organization of predominantly developed countries.

In its latest ‘Migration Outlook’ released on Thursday, the Paris-based OECD said that 6.5 million new permanent migrants arrived in its member states last year. The figure is a 10% year-on-year increase, and 28% above 2019 levels.

The report noted that most of the 2023 increase in permanent-type migration was driven by family migration, up by 18% in annual terms. Permanent labor migration to OECD countries also remained high, with just under 1.2 million workers, as in 2022.

“Buoyant labor demand has been a key driver of migration over the past two years,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. He added that many OECD countries are facing widespread labor shortages and looming demographic changes, which means increasing numbers of labor migrants have contributed to sustained economic growth.

Around a third of OECD countries experienced record immigration levels in 2023, including Canada, France, Japan, Switzerland, and the UK, according to the report. Another third recorded a drop in inflows, including Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, and New Zealand.

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The greatest surge was recorded in the UK, which for the first time was the biggest recipient of migrants after the US, with net immigration of 750,000 driven by recruitment to the care sector.

The report showed that the number of new asylum seekers to OECD countries broke a record in 2023, with 2.7 million new applications registered across OECD countries, a 30% year-on-year rise.

In the US, the number of asylum applications in 2023 has for the first time surpassed those in European OECD countries together, increasing to more than a million.

The top origin countries for asylum applicants within the OECD in 2023 were Venezuela (270,000), Colombia (203,000), Syria (171,000), and Afghanistan (150,000). They were followed by Haiti, Cuba, Türkiye, and Nicaragua.