OECD Migration Decline Noted, Especially in Europe: Report

The migration trends among OECD countries showed a slight decline in 2024, as detailed in the OECD International Migration Outlook 2025. This report, released on Monday, highlighted a 4% decrease in permanent settlers, dropping to approximately 6.2 million. Despite this drop, migration levels reached 15% above pre-pandemic figures, indicating a strong historical baseline.

Key Findings from the OECD Migration Report

The report underlines significant differences in migration trends across regions. Europe experienced the most considerable reduction, with an average decline of 8% in permanent migration. Conversely, the United States saw a notable increase.

Declines in European Countries

• The United Kingdom reported a staggering decrease of 41% in migration.
• Other EU countries, including Germany, Finland, Italy, and Sweden, showed drops exceeding 10%.
• A few nations, like Ireland and the Czech Republic, were exceptions, noting increases in migration.

Increased Migration to the United States

In contrast to Europe, the United States experienced a 20% uptick in migration, primarily due to humanitarian arrivals. The US maintained its status as the leading destination, welcoming 1.42 million migrants, followed by Germany with 586,000 and Canada with 484,000.

Reasons for Migration

Family reunification continued to be the predominant motive for migration, representing 34% of all permanent entries. However, labor migration saw a significant decline of 21%. Humanitarian migration, meanwhile, increased from 8% in 2019 to 13% in 2024. The number of new asylum seekers reached a notable 3.1 million across OECD countries, up 13% from the previous year.

Asylum Seekers by Country

The distribution of asylum seekers was concentrated in a few countries:

• United States
• Germany
• Canada
• Belgium ranked 10th, receiving over 33,000 applications.

Impact on the Health Sector

The report emphasized the crucial role of migrants in the health industry. Foreign-born individuals constituted 22% of doctors and 17% of nurses in OECD countries during the 2020-2021 period. The employment rate for immigrants last year was 70.9%, compared to 72.1% for native-born citizens. Employment rates for immigrant women increased in two-thirds of OECD nations, highlighting progress in labor integration.

Income Disparities

Despite progress in employment, economic disparities persist. Newly arrived immigrants earned an average of 34% less than their native-born counterparts, although the income gap decreased to 21% after five years in their host countries.