‘India has second highest number of adults planning to migrate’

United Nations, July 14 : India has the second highest number of adults planning to migrate to other countries with the US and the UK among the most favoured destinations, according to a report by the UN migration agency. The UN migration agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in its report ‘Measuring Global Migration Potential 2010-2015’, which analyses people’s migration intentions globally for the period 2010–2015, noted that globally 1.3 per cent of the adult population or 66 million people said they were planning to migrate permanently within the next 12 months. The most popular destination for those planning to migrate is the US, followed by the UK, Saudi Arabia, France, Canada, Germany and South Africa.
Half of those planning to migrate live in just 20 countries, led by Nigeria and followed by India, Congo, Sudan, Bangladesh and China.
At 4.8 million people, India has the highest number of adults planning and preparing to migrate–3.5 million people who are planning and 1.3 million who are preparing.
For Nigeria, the number stands at 5.1 million people, Congo 4.1 million, and China and Bangladesh at 2.7 million each.
The findings by IOM’s Global Migration Data Centre (GMDAC) shows that less than half a per cent of adults worldwide or 23 million people are actively making preparations to migrate abroad. One in three adults surveyed plans to migrate to a developing country.
West Africa, South Asia and North Africa are the regions with the largest migration potential.