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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

Featured

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

A homeless man stands in a queue as he waits for food during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi, India on April 3, 2020. The image is very striking showing the man with a large wrap around his head and mouth against a creamy, out of focus, colorful background. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Migration

Coronavirus in South Asia Takes Hold as April Arrives

by Erik Fliegauf, Alyssa Ayres

Density of crowds in India and Pakistan is thwarting social distancing measures as mass unemployment looms across region

The Grand Canal is seen after the Italian government imposed a virtual lockdown on the north of Italy including Venice to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak, in Venice, Italy on March 9, 2020. The image shows the iconic canal with almost no boats, just a single gondola. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
Migration

The Big European Shut Down

by Ilona Kickbusch, Susan Bergner

COVID-19 pandemic reflects the EU’s powerlessness to act coherently on health matters—but it also reveals a path forward

The image is a map of the world showing different countries colored different hues based on four levels of travel restrictions.
Migration

Travel Restrictions on China due to COVID-19

by Samantha Kiernan, Madeleine DeVita

A new global tracker mapping the impact of the new coronavirus on movement around the world