Mapping Global Migration Patterns

Where do people around the world live today - and where were they born?

The new Global Migration Map lets you explore international migration patterns using the United Nations’ International Migrant Stock 2024 dataset. By clicking on any country, you can discover where people living there originally came from, or where people born there now live - and how many people moved between each pair of countries.

India has the world’s largest emigrant population, with more than 18,000,000 people born in India now living abroad. The map reveals just how global this diaspora is, stretching across every continent. The United Arab Emirates is the single largest destination, home to 3,248,545 Indian-born residents, closely followed by the United States, which hosts 3,165,238. Together, these two countries account for more than a third of India’s total emigrant stock, highlighting the twin pull of labour migration to the Gulf and long-term settlement in North America.

It’s important to note that this map shows migrant stock, not migration flows for a single year. International migrant stock refers to the total number of people living in a country at a given point in time who were born in another country. Likewise, emigration figures represent the total number of people born in a country who are living abroad.

In other words, the map shows the current global distribution of international migrants, based on the latest UN estimates.