Labor migration worldwide - Statistics & Facts

With increased globalization and ease of travel in recent decades, more and more people are moving to another country to live and work and thus becoming migrant laborers. In the European Union, for instance, the free movement policy makes it possible for EU-citizens to live and work in other EU countries, which has resulted in a high number of people migrating from Eastern European countries to the wealthier Western European neighbors. A migrant laborer in theory does not intend to stay in the country the person is moving to, although many migrant workers end up residing in their host country permanently. Defining the exact number of migrant laborers is challenging as there is no clear definition of when a migrant worker becomes an expat. Moreover, many migrant workers are unregistered and live under harsh conditions. Nevertheless, a migrant worker is usually defined as someone of working age (15-64 years) who stays for a limited period of time in a country outside of their home country and is registered in the workforce there. In 2019, there were estimated to be around 169 million migrant workers in the world.

Migrant workers: who, where, and in which sectors?

Unsurprisingly, most of the migrant workers in the world are found in North America as well as Southern, Western, and Northern Europe, which are also the regions where most of the high-income countries are found. These regions are attractive to migrant workers as they provide high salaries, meaning that there is more money to take back home. Unemployment rates are usually also low in these regions. Many migrant workers end up working as unskilled laborers in low-income sectors. Most are employed within the service sector, but over one third of male migrant workers are employed within the industrial sector. Less is known about where labor migrants usually come from, and this is strongly related to which region one is looking at and to the total population of countries. In general, migrant workers often come from countries with high levels of poverty, low salaries, and high unemployment rates. Looking at the world's total migrant population, which includes refugees and asylum seekers, European migrants tend to migrate to other European countries, people from Latin America to North America, and people from South and Central Asia to the Middle East.

Arab States: high reliance on migrant workers

A region profiting particularly from labor migration is the Arab States. Migrant laborers make up over 40 percent of the total workforce in these countries, and while nearly 80 percent of the migrants in the region are participating in the labor force, only 40 percent of the non-migrant population does the same. The Arab States are also some of the countries in the world with the highest share of migrants to their total population. In other words, much of the development of these countries is driven by workers from abroad. While the host countries profit from (often cheap) manpower, the situation can be more double-edged for migrant workers. On the one hand, they earn higher salaries than in their home countries allowing them to take care of their families back home. On the other, many end up working and living under extreme conditions and are treated as slaves, as was highlighted in Qatar during the construction of the stadiums for the men's football World Cup in 2022.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Apr 8, 2024

Key insights

Number of male migrant workers worldwide
99m
Share of migrant workers in high-income countries
67%
Country with the largest foreign-born labor force
United States
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Distribution of migrant workers worldwide in 2019, by host region

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Distribution of migrant workers worldwide 2019, by host region

Distribution of migrant workers worldwide in 2019, by sector and gender

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Sectoral distribution of migrant workers worldwide 2019, by gender

Distribution of migrant workers worldwide in 2019, by gender (compared to total migrant population)

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Distribution of migrant workers worldwide 2019, by gender

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Migration from non-EU countries to the EU
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Immigration in Africa
Intraregional migration in Latin America
Intraregional migration in Latin America
Refugees and IDPs worldwide
Refugees and IDPs worldwide

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