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Themes

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Migration data sources

The demands for migration data arising from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have prompted the international statistical community to review the use of traditional sources for migration data, such as population and housing censuses, household surveys and administrative records. There is also increased interest in looking for alternative sources to enhance the collection and analysis of migration data. The better use and understanding of existing data sources are essential to improve migration management and policy. Information about migration comes from a variety of data sources that have strengths and limitations and can be used to produce different migration statistics.
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Remittances

Remittances, usually understood as the money or goods that migrants send back to families and friends in origin countries, are often the most direct and well-known link between migration and development. Remittances exceed official development aid but are private funds. Global estimates of financial transfers by migrants include transactions beyond what are commonly assumed to be remittances, as the statistical definition used for the collection of data on remittances is broader (see IMF, 2009). Also, such estimates do not cover informal transfers. Remittances can also be of a social nature, such as the ideas, behaviour, identities, social capital and knowledge that migrants acquire during their residence in another part of the country or abroad, that can be transferred to communities of origin (Levitt, 1998: 927).
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International migration flows

Migration flows data capture the number of migrants entering and leaving (inflow and outflow) a country over the course of a specific period, such as one year (UN SD, 2017). Data on migration flows are essential for understanding global migration patterns and how different factors and policies in countries of origin and destination may be related to flows. However, in contrast to migration stocks data, estimates on migration inflows and outflows by country of origin and destination are not available at the global level. Currently, only 45 countries report migration flow data to the United Nations (UN DESA, 2015).  Migration flows data on migrants entering and leaving over the course of a given time period (usually a calendar year) are often confused with migration stock data which estimate all migrants residing in a country at a particular point in time (UN SD, 2017, emphasis added).   
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International migrant stocks

International migrant stocks are estimates of "the total number of international migrants present in a given country at a particular point in time" (UN SD, 2017: 9). United Nations (UN) data on these stocks are based mostly on the country’s population that is born abroad, and (where this information is not available) on holding a foreign citizenship (UN DESA, 2016: 4; UN SD, 2017).  Data on migrant stocks are often reported together with data on migrant flows. Although both terms account for the number of migrants, what they measure is different. Migrant flows data account for the number of migrants entering or leaving during a specified time period (usually one calendar year) (UN SD, 2017).
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Blog

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Global refugee resettlement: What do the statistics tell us?

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Who wants or cares to know? The quest for good data

High-quality data are essential for designing effective public policies, but also depend on the statistical capacities of national statistical offices (NSOs). José Antonio Mejía, Lead Specialist in Modernization of the State at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), explores the role NSOs play in improving the production and use of data—including migration data. This blog is based on the main findings of a recent IDB study in 10 Latin American countries.   
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Search results for ''

We couldn't find exactly the terms you entered - please try a different search, or explore the items below.

Family migration

Family is a major driver of migration. Family migration is the term used to categorize the migration of people who migrate due to new or established family ties, and it encompasses several sub-categories: reunification with a family member who migrated earlier (a person with subsidiary protection is also entitled to (re)unite with family members); family accompanying a principal migrant; marriage between an immigrant and a citizen; marriage between an immigrant and a foreigner living abroad; and international adoptions. In general, data on family migration are sparse and family (re)unification programmes are the predominant means to collect such data. These programmes were developed to ensure the right to a family enshrined in Article 16 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Data on family migration are based on visas and residence permits issued to family members, as well as population registers.
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In search of a frame: What to expect when you’re sampling immigrants

  What is known about immigrants’ integration into European society? To answer this question, governments need reliable and timely data, but most importantly, a representative immigrant sample.   Dr. Amparo González and Dr. Inmaculada Serrano, of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), explain how population registers can help and why better cross-country research is needed.  
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Migration data sources

The demands for migration data arising from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have prompted the international statistical community to review the use of traditional sources for migration data, such as population and housing censuses, household surveys and administrative records. There is also increased interest in looking for alternative sources to enhance the collection and analysis of migration data. The better use and understanding of existing data sources are essential to improve migration management and policy. Information about migration comes from a variety of data sources that have strengths and limitations and can be used to produce different migration statistics.
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Disaster databases

How useful and reliable are disaster databases in the context of climate and global change? A comparative case study analysis in Peru

Disaster databases are a primary tool for the analysis of disaster characteristics and trends at global or national scales, and they support disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. However, the quality, consistency and completeness of different disaster databases are highly variable. Such variation critically influences the outcome of any study.

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India on the Move and Churning - New Evidence

India on the Move and Churning: New Evidence

Study on internal migration in India which analyses census data (using Cohort-based Migration Metric (CMM) and gravity model) and railway passenger traffic flow data  provided by the Ministry of Railways. The study is a chapter from the Economic Survey of India 2016-2017 and is endorsed by the Government of India.

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Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2018: From World Development Indicators

A visual guide to the trends, challenges and measurement issues related to each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the Atlas features maps and data visualizations, primarily drawn from World Development Indicators (WDI) - the World Bank’s compilation of internationally comparable statistics about global development and the quality of people’s lives.
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Global Migration Indicators Report 2018

Prepared by IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), this report summarizes key global migration trends based on the latest statistics, showcasing 21 indicators across 17 migration topics.

The report is based on statistics from a variety of sources, which can be easily accessed through the Portal.

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IUSSP

Advancing Knowledge on International Migration: Data and Research Needs

As international migration connects each country of the world with all the others, addressing knowledge gaps will require international consensus on definitions and methods of data collection. This Policy and Research Paper provides an overview assessment of the various criteria used by public administrations to define and produce data on international migration and identifies key issues that should be addressed to improve migration data for policy making and scientific research.

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Migration Health Research to advance evidence based policy and practice in Sri Lanka

IOM's Migration Health Research Series aims at sharing high-yield scientific papers and analytical commentaries aimed at advancing migration health policy and practice at national, regional and global levels. The first book of the series is a two-part volume profiling the development of the National Migration Health Policy and intervention framework in Sri Lanka, which to a large extent was driven by an evidence-informed, multisectoral approach.

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Protection Information Management Common Terminology 

The document offers a glossary on terms related to protection and information management to facilitate communication, understanding, and collaboration between colleagues within and across humanitarian organizations working in protection information management. Multiple definitions and examples are included for further understanding.

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Latest Blog posts

Types of migration
Family migration

Immigration & emigration statistics

In search of a frame: What to expect when you’re sampling immigrants
Dr. Amparo González and Dr. Inmaculada Serrano | 3 Jan 2019
Immigration & emigration statistics
Migration data sources

Capacity Building Resources

Disaster databases
How useful and reliable are disaster databases in the context of climate and global change? A comparative case study analysis in Peru
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