UN DESA Population Division · Emigrants
Emigrants by country
How many people from each country live abroad?
Of the 221 countries compared in 2024, India had the highest reading, 18,533,845, and Vatican City had the lowest reading, 313. In the middle country the figure was 444,451. Among the 220 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 216,937 to 441,915.
Emigrants · 2024
Context statistic
Highest of 221India
18,533,845012024 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 221 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2024
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
02Every measured country
Emigrants on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 313–21,384
- 21,706–181,834
- 194,816–679,772
- 681,720–1,834,670
- 1,879,613–18,533,845
- No reading in 2024
- Asia
810,116
the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members
India18,533,845
Maldives2,773Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
523,625
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Egypt4,820,002
Djibouti3,576Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Europe
517,216
the middle country, of 48 measured · 49 members
Ukraine9,769,216
Vatican City313Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
263,285
the middle country, of 47 measured · 48 members
Mexico11,596,529
Cayman Islands609Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
6,306
the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members
New Zealand679,772
Marshall Islands400Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Africa
2,704,114
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt4,820,002
Libya156,874Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Asia
2,637,195
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
India18,533,845Maldives2,773Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
1,178,757
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Philippines6,988,383
Brunei46,552Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central America
1,151,418
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Mexico11,596,529
Belize7,383Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Europe
1,058,246
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Ukraine9,769,216
Slovakia389,909Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South America
983,427
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Venezuela8,328,514
Suriname258,026Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Asia
920,340
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
China11,701,619
North Korea46,379Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Europe
657,364
the middle country, of 16 measured · 17 members
Italy2,941,444Vatican City313Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
567,045
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Syria8,927,523
Oman17,095Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Western Africa
546,497
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Nigeria2,094,265
Sierra Leone63,631Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Central Asia
540,573
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan2,796,572
Turkmenistan365,787Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Africa
539,756
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
South Sudan3,168,836Djibouti3,576Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Europe
512,547
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Germany4,297,233
Liechtenstein346Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Middle Africa
292,298
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
DR Congo2,097,387
São Tomé and Príncipe41,433Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Europe
124,665
the middle country, of 13 measured · 13 members
United Kingdom4,804,944Channel Islands351
Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Africa
40,371
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa1,005,800
Eswatini11,561Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
19,558
the middle country, of 23 measured · 24 members
Haiti2,017,692Cayman Islands609Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Melanesia
15,202
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Fiji181,025
New Caledonia5,082Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Polynesia
4,955
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Samoa119,313
Tuvalu1,239Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Micronesia
2,674
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Micronesia13,568Marshall Islands400Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand679,772
Australia430,718Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
United States3,186,999
Bermuda1,100Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
221 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 444,451; a quarter are above 1,347,381, and a quarter below 43,940. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.
04All 221 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better, and the order is largely one of size: the most populous countries have the most people abroad. It is a count, not a share of the population at home — the UN publishes no such share — and part of it is estimated, because not every host country records where its migrants come from.
Showing 25 of 221 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2020 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2024 · 8 reference years
Over time
Each point is one of eight reference years from 1990, as restated by the 2024 revision; there are no estimates for the years between.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 220 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 221 | 444,451 | 43,940 – 1,347,381 | 441,915 |
| 2020 | 221 | 424,072 | 43,235 – 1,200,058 | 423,736 |
| 2015 | 221 | 411,144 | 39,023 – 1,067,787 | 410,293 |
| 2010 | 221 | 342,391 | 34,619 – 962,514 | 338,524 |
| 2005 | 220 | 326,144 | 31,281 – 822,577 | 326,144 |
| 2000 | 220 | 293,261 | 26,732 – 765,716 | 293,261 |
| 1995 | 220 | 265,998 | 23,983 – 658,302 | 265,998 |
| 1990 | 220 | 216,937 | 23,807 – 590,146 | 216,937 |
062020 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after- Ukraine4,353,031 → 9,769,216+5,416,185
- Venezuela5,477,198 → 8,328,514+2,851,316
- India16,532,761 → 18,533,845+2,001,084
Afghanistan5,729,887 → 7,528,994+1,799,107
Sudan2,378,503 → 3,786,603+1,408,100
Fell most
before → after- Kazakhstan3,029,566 → 2,796,572−232,994
Belarus919,469 → 790,232−129,237
Georgia545,396 → 496,486−48,910
Armenia685,545 → 637,604−47,941
Kyrgyzstan584,710 → 540,573−44,137
221 countries were measured in both 2020 and 2024.
07Across every edition
Emigrants in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
18,533,845
Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 2 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
22
Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people)
Biggest rise between editions
+5,416,185
4,353,031 → 9,769,216
Biggest fall between editions
−3,369,380
7,477,104 → 4,107,724
Biggest change since first measured
+11,958,429
6,575,416 → 18,533,845
Highest most often
4 of 8
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About emigrants
This is the number of people from each country who live in another — international migrants counted by where they come from rather than where they live. It is the mirror of the migrants a country hosts, and covers everyone abroad, from students and workers to refugees.
What the number is: Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Mobility & Trade and People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Mobility & TradePeople & PopulationWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where emigrants is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Total PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 220 countries in commonρ 0.86
- Methane EmissionsEDGAR · 207 countries in commonρ 0.76
- Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 198 countries in commonρ 0.74
Moves against
Where emigrants is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Political Stability and Absence of ViolenceKeyWorld Bank Group · 210 countries in commonρ −0.64
- Outbound Mobility Ratio, TertiaryUIS · 117 countries in commonρ −0.59
- International Migrants as a Share of PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 221 countries in commonρ −0.50
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 315 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
11Questions
Emigrants: questions and answers
Which country has the highest emigrants?
India, at 18,533,845, among the 221 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest emigrants?
Vatican City, at 313, among the 221 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the Emigrants cover?
221 in 2024. The number measured varies from 220 to 221 between editions.
What is the world average emigrants?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 221 compared in 2024, the figure was 444,451.
Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Emigrants published?
This site holds 8 reference years, 1990–2024, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 8 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From International Migrant Stock 2024 by country of origin, read from the UN Population Division's own workbook. Migrants whose origin is unknown are in no country's row. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Emigrants — UN DESA Population Division
From International Migrant Stock 2024 by country of origin, read from the UN Population Division's own workbook. Migrants whose origin is unknown are in no country's row.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). International Migrant Stock 2024.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Emigrants by country: Emigrants, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/emigrants