Paulina Tells You About Immigration
As international migration has moved to center stage in political, policy, and public discussions in countries around the world, it is important to have a sense of who exactly these conversations are about. Simply put, an immigrant is a person living in a country other than that of his or her birth. No matter if that person has taken the citizenship of the destination country, served in its military, married a native, or has another status—he or she will forever be an international migrant. DID YOU KNOW? “Immigrant” is not a term used universally to refer to those living in a country other than their birth country. Other often-used terms include "migrant," the "foreign born," and "international migrant." About 3.4 percent of the global population—258 million of the world’s 7.7 billion people—are international migrants, a share that has increased slightly over the past couple decades (see figure). Almost three-quarters of immigrants are from less-dev...
