UN Report: Some 191 Million Migrants Live Across The Globe
Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Contributor Geneva, Switzerland (AHN) - In a report to 191-nation UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday said that some 191 million people now live outside their country of birth and migration. He said while most migrants move to wealthy nations, 75 million people have moved between developing countries. The report though recognizes the right of governments to decide who may enter their territory but also encourages them to work together to upgrade economic and social benefits at both the native and the host nations. Accounting the mutual benefits of migration, the report said, migrants undertake less desirable jobs in the host country while stimulating demand and improved economic performance, whereas the poor countries benefit by receiving an estimated $167 billion a year in remittances, up from $58 billion in 1995. Worldwide, money sent home by migrants totaled $232 billion in 2005, up from $102 billion in 1995, it said. According to the report, six out of 10 international immigrants reside in countries considered "high income." Europe hosted 34 per cent of all migrants in 2005, North America 23 per cent and Asia 28 per cent. Only 9 per cent were living in Africa, 3 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and another 3 per cent in Oceania. The report also noted that nearly half of all immigrants are women, and in developed countries |
