Archive | 2019
16 International Migration
Abstract
This chapter examines the size and scope of international migration, its theoretical underpinnings, and measures of migration. More than 3% of the world’s population consists of international migrants, who are not evenly distributed but concentrated in high-income destination countries. The countries of origin are becoming more diverse, with India now providing more migrants than any other. Immigration policies in destination countries increasingly favor highly educated immigrants. The chapter focuses also on the United States, the largest receiving country for immigrants. There, the ongoing retirement of the Baby Boom, decades of below-replacement fertility among the native-born population, and growth in college attendance have given rise to a need for more less-skilled workers, many of whom are immigrants.