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Migration

The United Nations estimates that more than 270 million people migrate between countries annually. This section considers the ways in which changes in health are a driver of migration—both within and between countries—as well as how migration and the ways in which migrants are treated affect human health.

Migration

258 M

Million people were international migrants in 2018

Million people were international migrants in 2018 Million people were international migrants in 2018

3.4%

Percent of global population made up of migrants

Percent of global population made up of migrants Percent of global population made up of migrants

70.8 M

Millions people today have been forcibly displaced

Millions of people today have been forcibly displaced Millions of people today have been forcibly displaced

15.9 M

Refugees today have lived in exile for 5+ years

Millions of refugees today have lived in exile for 5+ years Millions of refugees today have lived in exile for 5+ years

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Migration
Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station in Changsha, Hunan province, China, February 4. The photo shows several people clad head-to-toe in protective suits fogging what is presumably a disinfectant in thick clouds. REUTERS/cnsphoto

Panicky Responses to the Coronavirus are Dangerous—Here’s Why
by Yanzhong Huang - February 4, 2020

Fear of the virus may spread faster than the virus itself, a potential threat to health, liberty, trade, and the economy

Migration
Migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Thailand's southern Songkhla province on May 9, 2015. In 2001 Thailand launched a health insurance scheme for migrants and expanded it to dependents in 2005. Picture shows a triangle of men sitting cross-legged looking at the camera. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom.

The Geopolitics of Polio in Southeast Asia

by Swee Kheng Khor

The risk of re-emergence highlights the looming political choices Southeast Asia now needs to make to protect its people

Migration
Commuters walk on waterlogged railway tracks after getting off a stalled train during heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai, India, on July 2, 2019. Several women and at least one boy are walking in a group. One of them is talking on a cell phone. Several are sharing umbrellas. The water, even on the train tracks, which are presumably slightly elevated, is up to their ankles. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Don’t Call Them Climate Refugees

by Gulrez Shah Azhar

The majority of people displaced by climate change won’t cross international borders, will not be refugees or migrants

Latest

Cuban doctors receive Cuban and Italian flags during a farewell ceremony before departing to Italy to assist, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in Havana, Cuba, on March 21, 2020. the photo shows doctors lined up taking flags of Italy and cuba. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
Migration

Medical Diplomacy—Lessons From Cuba

by Hannah Todd

COVID-19 is a chance to design more efficient, equitable, and ethical health care responses during a crisis

New cars are seen lined up next to the dock as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, at the Port of Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 29, 2020. The photo is an aerial shot of a large lot packed completely with lines of cars. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Migration

Avoiding Another COVID-19 Surge in the United States

by Ali H. Mokdad

Keeping tabs on movement, infections, and testing are crucial to containing the virus

People ride a motorbike amidst smoke from fumigation during a fumigation campaign while the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on April 13, 2020. This is a powerful photo showing two men on one motorbike driving through a thick cloud of disinfectant mist. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Migration

Coronavirus, War, and Yemen in Between: A Recipe for Disaster

by Walid A. Al-Soneidar, Nezar N. Al-Hebshi

Without a collective effort to suppress COVID-19 in conflict zones, people in those areas will pay the highest price