Maps

Mapped: Immigration by Country, as a Percentage of the Population

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2022

Our World in Data

Featured Creator

Article/Editing:

Jenna Ross

Immigration by Country, as a Percentage of the Population

Many people move countries for work, study, or family. However, they may also be displaced by climate change, conflict, or economic instability.

There were 272 million immigrants in 2020, amounting to 3.5% of the global population. Where do they end up?

This interactive map from Our World in Data highlights immigration by country, as a percentage of the total population, using data from the United Nations (UN) Populations Division.

What Is an Immigrant?

The UN defines an immigrant as someone who has been living in a country other than their country of birth for one year or longer. In addition to new citizens or residents, a variety of people fit under this definition:

Foreign workers
International students
Refugees

The UN also includes estimates of unauthorized immigrants living in various countries. On the flip side, tourists, temporary workers, and overseas military personnel are typically not included.

Immigration by Country Over Time

With this definition in mind, here’s a breakdown of immigration by country as a percentage of the nation’s population.

Country	1990	2020	Absolute Change	Relative Change
Afghanistan	0.47%	0.37%	-0.10 p.p.	-20%
Albania	2.01%	1.70%	-0.31 p.p.	-16%
Algeria	1.06%	0.57%	-0.49 p.p.	-46%
American Samoa	45.18%	30.35%²	-14.83 p.p.	-33%
Andorra	71.35%	58.98%	-12.37 p.p.	-17%
Angola	0.28%	2.00%	1.71 p.p.	606%
Anguilla	30.59%	33.24%²	2.66 p.p.	9%
Antigua and Barbuda	19.24%	30.01%	10.77 p.p.	56%
Argentina	5.06%	5.05%	>-0.01 p.p.	>-1%
Armenia	18.62%	6.42%	-12.20 p.p.	-65%
Aruba	22.84%	34.52%²	11.67 p.p.	51%
Australia	23.32%	30.14%	6.82 p.p.	29%
Austria	10.27%	19.30%	9.03 p.p.	88%
Azerbaijan	4.98%	2.49%	-2.49 p.p.	-50%
Bahamas	10.48%	16.17%	5.69 p.p.	54%
Bahrain	34.93%	55.01%	20.09 p.p.	58%
Bangladesh	0.85%	1.28%	0.43 p.p.	50%
Barbados	9.21%	12.13%	2.93 p.p.	32%
Belarus	12.30%	11.29%	-1.01 p.p.	-8%
Belgium	12.80%	17.30%	4.51 p.p.	35%
Belize	16.21%	15.60%	-0.61 p.p.	-4%
Benin	1.54%	3.25%	1.71 p.p.	111%
Bhutan	4.49%	6.95%	2.46 p.p.	55%
Bolivia	1.07%	1.41%	0.33 p.p.	31%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.25%	1.10%	-0.16 p.p.	-12%
Botswana	2.14%	4.69%	2.55 p.p.	119%
Brazil	0.54%	0.51%	-0.03 p.p.	-5%
Brunei	28.29%	25.59%	-2.70 p.p.	-10%
Bulgaria	0.24%	2.65%	2.41 p.p.	992%
Burkina Faso	3.97%	3.46%	-0.50 p.p.	-13%
Burundi	6.13%	2.90%	-3.23 p.p.	-53%
Cambodia	0.43%	0.47%	0.05 p.p.	11%
Cameroon	2.26%	2.18%	-0.08 p.p.	-3%
Canada	15.73%	21.33%	5.59 p.p.	36%
Cape Verde	2.64%	2.84%	0.20 p.p.	7%
Central African Republic	2.40%	1.83%	-0.56 p.p.	-23%
Chad	1.25%	3.33%	2.09 p.p.	167%
Chile	0.81%	8.61%	7.79 p.p.	962%
China	0.03%	0.07%	0.04 p.p.	125%
Colombia	0.32%	3.75%	3.43 p.p.	1089%
Comoros	3.42%	1.44%	-1.98 p.p.	-58%
Congo	5.49%	7.02%	1.53 p.p.	28%
Costa Rica	13.39%	10.22%	-3.17 p.p.	-24%
Cote d'Ivoire	15.23%	9.72%	-5.51 p.p.	-36%
Croatia	9.95%	12.86%	2.91 p.p.	29%
Cuba	0.33%	0.03%	-0.30 p.p.	-92%
Cyprus	5.71%	15.77%	10.05 p.p.	176%
Czechia	1.07%	5.05%	3.98 p.p.	373%
Democratic Republic of Congo	2.18%	1.06%	-1.11 p.p.	-51%
Denmark	4.58%	12.39%	7.81 p.p.	171%
Djibouti	20.70%	12.12%	-8.58 p.p.	-41%
Dominica	3.58%	11.51%	7.93 p.p.	222%
Dominican Republic	4.08%	5.57%	1.48 p.p.	36%
Ecuador	0.77%	4.45%	3.68 p.p.	478%
Egypt	0.31%	0.53%	0.22 p.p.	72%
El Salvador	0.90%	0.66%	-0.24 p.p.	-27%
Equatorial Guinea	0.65%	16.44%	15.78 p.p.	2413%
Eritrea	0.53%	0.39%	-0.13 p.p.	-25%
Estonia	24.41%	15.02%	-9.38 p.p.	-38%
Eswatini	9.12%	2.83%	-6.29 p.p.	-69%
Ethiopia	2.41%	0.94%	-1.47 p.p.	-61%
Faeroe Islands	9.01%	10.96%²	1.95 p.p.	22%
Falkland Islands	42.69%	50.53%²	7.84 p.p.	18%
Fiji	1.82%	1.57%	-0.25 p.p.	-14%
Finland	1.27%	6.97%	5.70 p.p.	450%
France	10.41%	13.06%	2.65 p.p.	25%
French Guiana	54.35%	41.09%²	-13.26 p.p.	-24%
Gabon	13.50%	18.72%	5.22 p.p.	39%
Gambia	12.36%	8.92%	-3.44 p.p.	-28%
Georgia	5.63%	1.99%	-3.64 p.p.	-65%
Germany	7.51%	18.81%	11.30 p.p.	151%
Ghana	1.12%	1.53%	0.42 p.p.	37%
Greece	6.04%	12.86%	6.81 p.p.	113%
Greenland	16.71%	10.52%²	-6.19 p.p.	-37%
Grenada	4.43%	6.41%	1.98 p.p.	45%
Guadeloupe	18.72%	21.13%²	2.41 p.p.	13%
Guatemala	2.85%	0.47%	-2.38 p.p.	-83%
Guinea	6.35%	0.93%	-5.43 p.p.	-85%
Guinea-Bissau	1.58%	0.91%	-0.66 p.p.	-42%
Guyana	0.55%	3.96%	3.41 p.p.	619%
Haiti	0.27%	0.17%	-0.11 p.p.	-39%
Honduras	5.46%	0.40%	-5.06 p.p.	-93%
Hong Kong	38.73%	39.52%	0.78 p.p.	2%
Hungary	3.35%	6.05%	2.70 p.p.	81%
Iceland	3.76%	19.17%	15.41 p.p.	410%
India	0.87%	0.35%	-0.52 p.p.	-59%
Indonesia	0.26%	0.13%	-0.13 p.p.	-49%
Iran	7.61%	3.33%	-4.28 p.p.	-56%
Iraq	0.48%	0.91%	0.43 p.p.	89%
Ireland	6.49%	17.64%	11.15 p.p.	172%
Israel	36.70%	22.57%	-14.13 p.p.	-39%
Italy	2.50%	10.56%	8.06 p.p.	322%
Jamaica	0.85%	0.80%	-0.05 p.p.	-6%
Japan	0.86%	2.19%	1.33 p.p.	154%
Jordan	32.15%	33.89%	1.74 p.p.	5%
Kazakhstan	22.09%	19.88%	-2.21 p.p.	-10%
Kenya	1.26%	1.95%	0.70 p.p.	55%
Kiribati	2.99%	2.62%	-0.37 p.p.	-12%
Kuwait	51.27%	72.83%	21.55 p.p.	42%
Kyrgyzstan	14.25%	3.05%	-11.20 p.p.	-79%
Laos	0.54%	0.67%	0.13 p.p.	25%
Latvia	24.25%	12.69%	-11.55 p.p.	-48%
Lebanon	18.68%	25.09%	6.41 p.p.	34%
Lesotho	0.48%	0.56%	0.08 p.p.	16%
Liberia	4.58%	1.74%	-2.84 p.p.	-62%
Libya	10.30%	12.03%	1.73 p.p.	17%
Liechtenstein	37.88%	67.85%	29.97 p.p.	79%
Lithuania	9.45%	5.33%	-4.12 p.p.	-44%
Luxembourg	29.81%	47.62%	17.81 p.p.	60%
Madagascar	0.21%	0.13%	-0.08 p.p.	-38%
Malawi	11.99%	1.00%	-10.99 p.p.	-92%
Malaysia	3.86%	10.74%	6.88 p.p.	178%
Maldives	3.89%	12.96%	9.07 p.p.	233%
Mali	1.90%	2.40%	0.50 p.p.	26%
Malta	4.17%	25.99%	21.83 p.p.	524%
Marshall Islands	2.45%	5.57%	3.12 p.p.	127%
Martinique	10.77%	16.75%²	5.98 p.p.	55%
Mauritania	5.49%	3.92%	-1.57 p.p.	-29%
Mauritius	0.34%	2.27%	1.93 p.p.	564%
Mexico	0.83%	0.93%	0.10 p.p.	12%
Moldova	12.46%	2.59%	-9.88 p.p.	-79%
Monaco	69.17%	67.78%	-1.39 p.p.	-2%
Mongolia	0.31%	0.65%	0.34 p.p.	111%
Montenegro	12.58%¹	11.30%	-1.27 p.p.	-10%
Montserrat	18.76%	21.79%²	3.03 p.p.	16%
Morocco	0.22%	0.28%	0.06 p.p.	25%
Mozambique	0.94%	1.08%	0.14 p.p.	15%
Myanmar	0.32%	0.14%	-0.18 p.p.	-56%
Namibia	8.42%	4.30%	-4.11 p.p.	-49%
Nauru	29.61%	20.32%	-9.30 p.p.	-31%
Nepal	2.27%	1.67%	-0.60 p.p.	-26%
Netherlands	7.90%	13.76%	5.86 p.p.	74%
New Caledonia	22.20%	25.45%²	3.25 p.p.	15%
New Zealand	15.24%	28.65%	13.41 p.p.	88%
Nicaragua	0.99%	0.64%	-0.35 p.p.	-36%
Niger	1.44%	1.44%	>-0.01 p.p.	>-1%
Nigeria	0.48%	0.64%	0.16 p.p.	32%
North Korea	0.17%	0.19%	0.02 p.p.	14%
North Macedonia	4.77%	6.30%	1.54 p.p.	32%
Norway	4.53%	15.72%	11.19 p.p.	247%
Oman	16.78%	46.47%	29.69 p.p.	177%
Pakistan	5.77%	1.48%	-4.28 p.p.	-74%
Palau	18.59%	28.12%	9.53 p.p.	51%
Palestine	13.72%	5.35%	-8.37 p.p.	-61%
Panama	2.54%	7.26%	4.72 p.p.	186%
Papua New Guinea	0.73%	0.35%	-0.38 p.p.	-52%
Paraguay	4.64%	2.38%	-2.26 p.p.	-49%
Peru	0.26%	3.71%	3.46 p.p.	1345%
Philip.p.ines	0.25%	0.21%	-0.04 p.p.	-17%
Poland	2.97%	2.16%	-0.81 p.p.	-27%
Portugal	4.40%	9.83%	5.42 p.p.	123%
Puerto Rico	9.12%	7.59%²	-1.53 p.p.	-17%
Qatar	65.04%	77.27%	12.23 p.p.	19%
Reunion	9.47%	14.39%²	4.91 p.p.	52%
Romania	0.58%	3.67%	3.09 p.p.	534%
Russia	7.81%	7.97%	0.16 p.p.	2%
Rwanda	2.19%	3.97%	1.77 p.p.	81%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	7.97%	14.52%	6.55 p.p.	82%
Saint Lucia	3.84%	4.54%	0.70 p.p.	18%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	19.69%	19.14%²	-0.55 p.p.	-3%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	3.69%	4.27%	0.58 p.p.	16%
Samoa	2.06%	2.03%	-0.03 p.p.	-2%
San Marino	13.72%	16.33%	2.61 p.p.	19%
Sao Tome and Principe	4.68%	0.98%	-3.71 p.p.	-79%
Saudi Arabia	30.79%	38.65%	7.86 p.p.	26%
Senegal	3.59%	1.64%	-1.95 p.p.	-54%
Serbia	1.04%	9.42%	8.38 p.p.	803%
Seychelles	5.27%	13.27%	8.00 p.p.	152%
Sierra Leone	5.14%	0.67%	-4.47 p.p.	-87%
Singapore	24.14%	43.14%	19.00 p.p.	79%
Slovakia	0.78%	3.61%	2.83 p.p.	362%
Slovenia	8.88%	13.37%	4.50 p.p.	51%
Solomon Islands	1.35%	0.37%	-0.99 p.p.	-73%
Somalia	6.62%	0.37%	-6.25 p.p.	-94%
South Africa	3.16%	4.82%	1.66 p.p.	52%
South Korea	0.10%	3.37%	3.27 p.p.	3238%
South Sudan	2.43%¹	7.88%	5.46 p.p.	225%
Spain	2.10%	14.63%	12.54 p.p.	598%
Sri Lanka	0.24%	0.19%	-0.05 p.p.	-22%
Sudan	6.96%	3.15%	-3.82 p.p.	-55%
Suriname	4.46%	8.15%	3.68 p.p.	83%
Sweden	9.21%	19.84%	10.63 p.p.	116%
Switzerland	20.93%	28.79%	7.86 p.p.	38%
Syria	5.74%	4.96%	-0.77 p.p.	-13%
Tajikistan	8.12%	2.89%	-5.22 p.p.	-64%
Tanzania	2.28%	0.71%	-1.56 p.p.	-69%
Thailand	0.94%	5.20%	4.27 p.p.	457%
Togo	2.25%	3.38%	1.13 p.p.	50%
Tonga	3.06%	3.54%	0.48 p.p.	16%
Trinidad and Tobago	4.15%	5.63%	1.49 p.p.	36%
Tunisia	0.46%	0.51%	0.05 p.p.	10%
Turkey	2.16%	7.18%	5.02 p.p.	233%
Turkmenistan	8.32%	3.23%	-5.09 p.p.	-61%
Tuvalu	3.57%	2.03%	-1.54 p.p.	-43%
Uganda	3.14%	3.76%	0.63 p.p.	20%
Ukraine	13.39%	11.43%	-1.97 p.p.	-15%
United Arab Emirates	71.46%	88.13%	16.67 p.p.	23%
United Kingdom	6.39%	13.79%	7.40 p.p.	116%
United States	9.22%	15.30%	6.08 p.p.	66%
Uruguay	3.15%	3.12%	-0.04 p.p.	-1%
Uzbekistan	8.10%	3.47%	-4.63 p.p.	-57%
Vanuatu	1.57%	1.06%	-0.51 p.p.	-33%
Venezuela	5.22%	4.66%	-0.56 p.p.	-11%
Vietnam	0.04%	0.08%	0.04 p.p.	93%
Western Sahara	0.97%	0.83%²	-0.14 p.p.	-15%
World	2.87%	3.60%	0.73 p.p.	25%
Yemen	1.01%	1.30%	0.28 p.p.	28%
Zambia	3.48%	1.02%	-2.46 p.p.	-71%
Zimbabwe	6.08%	2.80%	-3.28 p.p.	-54%

¹Data as of 2010 due to data availability
²Data as of 2015 due to data availability

Higher immigration levels are generally correlated with higher standards of living and advanced economies. For instance, North America, Europe, and Oceania all have a relatively high proportion of immigrants.

The United States is home to the largest number of immigrants—over 50 million—which now make up 15% of the country’s population. Since 1990, the proportion of immigrants in the country has continued to rise. As with most advanced economies, immigration has helped to counter a decline in fertility rates.

Over the last 30 years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has had the highest immigration by country, with 88% of its population being defined as immigrants in 2020. The country has the highest GDP per capita of any of its neighboring countries, and draws many migrant workers.

Meanwhile, South Korea has seen the largest relative increase in immigrants over the last three decades. Faced with the lowest fertility rate in the world and an aging population, the country has enacted policy reforms to encourage immigration, including a formal guest worker program and local voting rights for permanent foreign residents.

Integration or Separation?

Immigrants can help fill labor gaps and drive economic innovation in their new country of residence. Depending on their destination, they may benefit from things like higher pay, access to better education, and a more stable political climate.

Notably, countries respond to immigration in different ways. In one study measuring what governments are doing to integrate migrants, Sweden ranked at the top. The country offers non-EU citizens equal access to education, labor market rights and its social safety net, and it also has strong anti-discrimination laws.

On the flip side, immigrants may face challenges integrating into other countries. For instance, the UAE’s kafala (sponsorship) system is structured so that employment visas are granted by local individuals or companies rather than the state. This gives employers enhanced power over their workers, and in the past it has resulted in alleged human rights abuses.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

Related Topics:migrants immigration our world in data immigrants immigration per capita migrant workers foreign residents

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Maps

Mapped: Gun Manufacturers by U.S. State

In 2022, the U.S. government agency in charge with enforcing national gun laws issued 18,784 gun manufacturer licenses.

Published

2 days ago

September 14, 2024

Kayla Zhu

Licensed Gun Manufacturers by U.S. State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Gun manufacturing in the U.S. has been increasing steadily in recent years, with a significant spike during the pandemic.

According to the Violence Policy Center, there are almost five times as many gun manufacturers as there are colleges in the country.

This map visualizes the number of Type 7 Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) in each U.S. state in 2022, and the percentage increase in FFLs from 2017 to 2022. Type 7 FFLs are the basic federal license required to manufacture and sell guns and ammunition in America.

The data comes from the Violence Policy Center and reflects 2022 data.

Which U.S. States Have the Most Gun Manufacturers?

While most production is concentrated in the hands of a few key players, a majority of gun manufacturers actually don’t operate out of big commercial facilities, but instead, out of homes or offices.

Rank	State	Number of gun manufacturers	Increase (2017-2022)
1	Texas	2,321	78%
2	Florida	1,214	59%
3	Arizona	1,026	55%
4	North Carolina	737	70%
5	Ohio	715	51%
6	Pennsylvania	669	79%
7	Georgia	607	77%
8	California	580	6%
9	Colorado	573	56%
10	Utah	515	66%
11	Michigan	470	70%
12	Virginia	459	48%
13	Tennessee	454	74%
14	Missouri	440	41%
15	Oklahoma	437	42%
16	Idaho	432	62%
17	Washington	427	71%
18	Wisconsin	371	46%
19	New York	365	77%
20	South Carolina	347	78%
21	Indiana	323	53%
22	Alabama	323	50%
23	Arkansas	312	42%
24	Nevada	291	40%
25	Massachusetts	290	44%
26	Minnesota	274	42%
27	Illinois	267	25%
28	Louisiana	264	51%
29	Oregon	263	35%
30	Kentucky	255	70%
31	Kansas	254	58%
32	Montana	250	46%
33	Iowa	235	81%
34	New Hampshire	197	31%
35	Mississippi	193	40%
36	New Mexico	193	36%
37	Connecticut	193	14%
38	Wyoming	188	100%
39	Maryland	178	37%
40	West Virginia	150	85%
41	Maine	120	26%
42	Alaska	118	57%
43	South Dakota	117	121%
44	Nebraska	115	53%
45	Vermont	89	48%
46	North Dakota	68	325%
47	New Jersey	30	7%
48	Rhode Island	27	42%
49	Hawaii	15	114%
50	Delaware	12	71%

Texas, Florida, and Arizona, the three states with the most gun manufacturers in 2022, all have business-friendly policies including low or no income taxes and fewer regulations, as well as strong gun cultures.

Large firearms companies have also increasingly chosen to move their headquarters and production to red states, especially in the South.

Other Southern red states are capitalizing on this trend. In Oklahoma, just north of Texas, Governor Kevin Stitt has promoted the state’s “pro-Second Amendment” stance to attract more firearms manufacturers.

Out of the top five states with the most manufacturers, four (Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio) have constitutional carry laws. These laws allow individuals to carry a firearm without a permit.

Many of these top states also do not require permits for people to carry concealed weapons, such as handguns, in public.