Disinformation about migration
Using data to bust myths about migration
Drawing on the World Migration Report 2024 and the article ”5 charts that bust some myths about migration” by Dr. Marie McAuliffe and Adrian Kitimbo published by the World Economic Forum
International migration is complex and influenced by both historical and contemporary factors. Migration patterns are also different across regions and countries. Understanding these dynamics is important for anyone interested in getting a clearer and less myopic picture of international migration.
What do the main migration corridors show?
As can be seen in Figure 1, the Mexico to United States corridor is the largest in the world at nearly 11 million people. Contrary to popular media and political representations, the Mexico to the United States corridor did not emerge recently. Mexican emigration to the United States has occurred over many decades. The second largest is from the Syrian Arab Republic to Türkiye, comprising mainly refugees displaced by the Syrian Arab Republic’s civil war. The corridor between the Russian Federation and Ukraine takes up spots three and five among the largest corridors in the world, which is due to a range of underpinning reasons over time (including, for example, displacement from Ukraine following Russian Federation invasions in 2014 and 2022).
Source: WMR 2024, Ch. 2
What do corridors represent?
How many people make up the Mexico to United States corridor?
What contemporary events explain the second and third largest migration corridors?
Migration patterns are not uniform and vary across regions
As migration has gained prominence in recent years, it has become increasingly clear there is either a lack of understanding or, at times, deliberate misrepresentation of some migration trends. A common assumption, for example, is that most African international migrants leave the continent. The data shows otherwise. Most international migrants in regions such as Africa and Asia are not headed to Europe or Northern America, but move within the region in which they were born.
What two regions make up migrants to Africa?
Migrants within Africa refer to:
Majority of migrants from Africa reside in what region?
Using data to bust myths about migration: Number of refugees by top five host countries, 2018
- What were the top five host countries of refugees in 2018?
What country experienced consistent growth since 2013?
Quiz questions
Examine figure 1. Based on the figure, where do the majority of migrants from Africa migrate to? Within Africa Asia Europe None of the above
Examine figure 2. Based on the figure, which country hosts the largest number of refugees? Pakistan Turkey Uganda None of the above
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