Thanks, Matt.
The committee will have often heard it said that migration is on the rise or that it's at an all-time high. Today I'll share some numbers and some context behind those statements.
Worldwide migration has grown by 49% since 2000. According to the UN, there are now an estimated 258 million international migrants globally, which represents approximately 3.4% of the world's population. Of these, 25.9 million, or about 10%, are refugees.
What are the drivers for so much movement? There are many, but among the most notable are the drive to seek better economic opportunities; family reunification; concerns about public security and criminality in migrants' country of birth; and to escape humanitarian crises, persecution, instability and war. All this is facilitated by lower international travel costs and easy availability of information, and sometimes misinformation, online and through social media about migration.
In terms of where international migrants are going, Europe and Asia each hosted around 31% of all international migrants in 2015, according to the UN. These regions were followed by North America, with 22% of the global migrant stock, Africa at 9%, Latin America and the Caribbean at 4%, and Oceania at 3%.
Migration is a defining feature of the world today. It's not a new trend, and it's not something that we expect will stop anytime soon. The United States has been the main country of destination for international migrants since the 1970s. In terms of the top countries of destination for 2015, the U.S. is followed by Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and then Canada, in seventh place.
Where are international migrants coming from? In 2015, the top five countries of origin worldwide were India, Mexico, Russia, China and Bangladesh.
It's worthwhile recognizing that migration between countries located in the same region is also increasing. In fact, south-south migration has now surpassed south-north migration. According to the UN, more than 50% of migrants from developing countries move to another developing country, and largely within their region. In Africa most international migration is voluntary, regular and within the continent. This is also a trend between rich countries, as about half of all immigrants to high-income countries come from other high-income countries.
The international community has recognized that increased international human migration is the new normal and has responded with the development of new tools. The United Nations is currently concluding two parallel processes to develop two global compacts: one on refugees and one on migration. Although non-binding, they represent an opportunity for the international community to put in place objectives and best practices in terms of addressing flows of refugees and migrants.
The refugee compact aims to encourage states to share responsibility for refugees more equitably and predictably, and to be better prepared to respond to refugee crises. One primary objective is to facilitate access to durable solutions, along with supporting host countries, building resilience and promoting conditions for sustainable return. It also highlights the role played by countries on the front lines, which host the majority of refugees.
The global compact for migration aims to address all other dimensions of migration, such as regular migration pathways, human rights, trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, border management, and integration. It emphasizes the positive contributions of migrants and the benefits of comprehensive, well-managed migration systems, while also acknowledging and drawing attention to the serious challenges that irregular migration poses.
Canada is actively engaged in the development of these new tools, and has been constructively engaged in discussions on them, for the promise they hold in terms of encouraging states to take a more managed approach to migration and to take advantage of the opportunities that regular, rules-based migration can have for countries of destination.