World Migration Report

The World Migration Report 2022, the eleventh in the series, retains the same structure as its predecessors, and has the aim "to set out in clear and accurate terms the changes occurring in migration and mobility globally".[3] The first part of the report consists of four chapters, which provide updated migration statistics at the global and regional levels, while the second part considers the following thematic migration issues different to those in previous reports:[4]

• COVID-19's impact on migration and mobility
• Peace, security and migration
• Migration as a stepladder for opportunity
• Disinformation about migration
• Migration and the slow-onset impacts of climate change
• Human trafficking in migration pathways
• Artificial intelligence, migration and mobility
• Migrants' contributions to societies

The World Migration Report 2020, the tenth in the series, similarly has the aim of contributing to increased understanding of migration throughout the world. The first four chapters are the same as in the 2018 edition, which provide updated migration statistics at the global and regional levels, while the second part considers a range of different migration issues:[5][6]

• Migrants' contributions to societies
• Migration, inclusion and social cohesion
• Migration and health
• Children and unsafe migration
• Migration and adaptation to environmental change
• Migrants caught in crises
• Recent developments in global migration governance

Unlike the seven preceding reports which centered around a specific theme, the World Migration Report 2018 seeks to provide "both overview information that helps to explain migration patterns and processes, as well as insights and recommendations on major issues that policymakers are or will soon be grappling with".[7]

The first part of the report consists of four chapters produced institutionally by IOM. It draws primarily upon analyses by IOM experts, practitioners and officials around the world, and compiles a wealth of data, information, and analysis with the aim of increasing the understanding of migration at both the global and regional levels. Conversely, the second part is authored by applied and academic researchers working on migration and mobility, and presents balanced, evidence-based analyses of complex and emerging migration issues. Specifically, the second section comprises the following chapters:[2]

• Global migration governance frameworks: Existing architecture and recent developments
• Mobility, migration and transnational connectivity
• Understanding migration journeys from migrants' perspectives
• Media reporting of migrants and migration
• Migration, violent extremism and social exclusion
• Migrants and cities: Stepping beyond World Migration Report 2015

The seven editions of the World Migration Report released between 2003 and 2015 are organised around a core theme:

• World Migration Report 2015: Migrants and Cities, New Partnerships to Manage Mobility.[8]
• World Migration Report 2013: High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.[9]
• World Migration Report 2011: Communicating Effectively about Migration.[10]
• World Migration Report 2010: The Future of Migration: Building Capacities for Change.[11]
• World Migration Report 2008: Managing Labour Mobility in the Evolving Global Economy.[12]
• World Migration Report 2005: Costs and Benefits of International Migration.[13]
• World Migration Report 2003: Challenges and Responses for People on the Move.[14]

Like the most recent editions of the World Migration Report, the 2000 edition is divided into two parts.

The first examines the scale of migration and characteristics of international migrants, including: the types of movements underway; the factors which contribute to migration; and the policy issues associated with these trends. In nine separate chapters, the second part reviews migration trends and recent policy developments in the major migration regions of the world. Alongside this discussion is an analysis of the integration of migrants, the consequences of irregular migration, and the extent of interregional cooperation between states.[1]

The World Migration Report 2022 has been mentioned it in several media outlets across the world such as the East African, France 24, La Nación, Associated Press (AP), the Independent, among others.[15][16][17][18][19]

Media outlets such as CNN Español, the World Economic Forum and Reuters have published articles that utilize the World Migration Report 2020 as a resource to discuss contemporary migration trends.[20][21][22]

The World Migration Report 2018 has been referenced in a wide range of peer-reviewed research outputs. The report has featured in articles released in the academic journal The Lancet on five occasions,[23][24][25] as well as books released by Cambridge University Press[26] and Oxford University Press.[27] It has also been attributed as a source in reports produced by the Finnish government[28] and Save the Children,[29] The SAGE Handbook of International Migration,[30] the United Nation's 2018 World Happiness Report[31] and an Oxford Research Encyclopedia focusing on migrants and refugees in Africa.[32]

In their guide "Immigration Data Matters," the Migration Policy Institute recommended the report as a source of "current and historical estimates of international migrants by destination and/or origin."[33]

The 2018 Report was employed as a fact-checking resource against xenophobic claims on social media.[34]

The World Migration Report 2022 has 12 chapters, the first of which presents an overview of the report and discusses how technological, geopolitical and environmental transformations will shape migration and mobility in the future. The other 11 chapters aim to inform current and future policy deliberations and discussions by providing a clear identification of the key issues, a critical overview of relevant research and analysis and a discussion of the implications for future research and policymaking.[36]

Chapter 2 draws upon global sources of data to provide an overview of key figures and trends regarding the stocks and flows of international migrants, as well as remittances. After an initial review of overall migrant stocks and flows, the chapter looks at these trends for specific migrant groups, including migrant workers, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless persons.[37]

Chapter 3 focuses on key regional dimensions of, and developments in, migration in six world regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, and Oceania. An overview and brief discussion of key population-related statistics, and a description of "key features and developments" in migration, is provided for each of these regions.[38]

Chapter 4 conducts a comprehensive review of the migration research and analysis produced by the United Nations system. This includes the United Nations Network on Migration as part of supporting the ongoing implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the Global Compact on Refugees and the Sustainable Development Goals.[39]

Focusing on the first year of COVID-19, Chapter 5 examines the impacts of the pandemic on migration and mobility. It puts a particular emphasis on migrants' immobility and vulnerabilities.[40]

Chapter 6 analyses the interaction between conflict, instability and insecurity; development; and migration. Drawing upon existing evidence, it illustrates that instability or conflict feed negatively on development and consequently drive displacement, asylum-seeking and unsafe migration.[41]

Analyzing a range of statistical data and drawing upon some of the existing body of research on migration determinants and decision-making, the seventh chapter attempts to shed light on the key questions of "who migrates internationally and where do they go?"[42]

Chapter 8 focuses on factors shaping disinformation about migration in terms of society, politics, media and technology. Best practices in building public resilience to disinformation and the major insights from current research are reviewed. The chapter highlights major gaps in our understanding of disinformation and the current barriers to advancing this work.[43]

Chapter 9 examines migration in the context of the slow-onset impacts of climate change. In this area – where policy and knowledge gaps remain – it discusses some of the key challenges associated with understanding and taking action on slow-onset climate impacts and migration issues. Moreover, it analyses how migration policy and practice can play a role in responding to some of the most pressing challenges.[44]

By looking at available data on migrant victims of human trafficking and traffickers, Chapter 10 examines current trafficking trends and patterns. Furthermore, current challenges and promising avenues for the prevention of trafficking of migrants, including the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of victims and cooperation in counter-trafficking efforts are discussed.[45]

Through the prism of the existing international human rights framework of rules, standards and principles, Chapter 11 discusses the implications of artificial intelligence for migration policy and practice. It emphasizes the potential for human rights to be eroded – or bolstered – as a result of the design, development, implementation and expansion of artificial intelligence technologies around the world.[46]

The twelfth and final chapter gives an update on a chapter in the World Migration Report 2020 on migrants' contributions in an era of increasing disruption and disinformation. With COVID-19 disinformation, the massive challenges concerning balanced and accurate accounts of migrants' contributions has only become worse, which is why this chapter delves deeper into this topic and expands on the analysis provided in the 2020 edition.[47] 

Upon release, the 2022 World Migration Report received widespread praise.

At the launch of the report, several IOM member states made positive statements. The Australian government noted that the report provided "important clarity on global migration issues during a challenging time in our collective histories". The Government of Eswatini said that the World Migration Report "has helped governments to manage migration more effectively by providing accurate, reliable, and rigorous information and analysis on key migration topics". The Government of Moldova equally welcomed "the evidence-based analysis of complex and emerging migration issues".[48]

The report was also well received by newspapers, academics and think tanks. An editorial in the Associated Press said that the report delivered a "vast compendium of the latest trends in human movement of all types".[49]

Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor at Harvard University, commented on the World Migration Report's encyclopedic nature, noting how it was "excellent, so well written, so lucid and clearly presented and so well focused on cutting edge topics". Ahmet İçduygu, Professor at Koç University, similarly recognized that even experienced researchers in the field of migration "learn something new" when reading the report. Similar praise was given by Erol Yayboke of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who coins the report a "seminal tome of global migration updates".[48]

The report is a highly collaborative venture, drawing on expertise of IOM staff specialising in migration programme delivery, policy development and migration research and analysis, as well as leading migration researchers from around the world. The report was peer reviewed by IOM experts and senior migration academics, including:[50]

• Prof Tarik Abou-Chadi, University of Oxford
• Dr Cecilia Cannon, Geneva Graduate Institute
• Dr Michael Clemens, Center for Global Development
• Prof Yogesh Dwivedi, Swansea University
• Prof Gibril Faal, London School of Economics
• Prof Alan Gamlen, Australian National University
• Prof Ahmet İçduygu, Koç University
• Dr Binod Khadria, Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism
• Prof Susan Martin, Georgetown University
• Dr Petra Molnar, University of Toronto
• Dr Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Mahidol University
• Dr S. Irudaya Rajan, International Institute of Migration & Development
• Prof Eugenia Siapera, University College Dublin
• Dr Sallie Yea, La Trobe University