304M
International migrants
The United Nations estimated about 304 million international migrants in 2024.
UN DESA · 2024
EXPLORE THE WORLD · SUBJECT 8
Migration & Movement
People move for many reasons. Explore how migration, displacement, borders, opportunity, conflict, climate, health and human rights connect our world.
GHE PRINCIPLE
Follow the movement. Understand the context.
Look beyond the numbers.
Self
→
Family & Peers
→
Community
→
Country
→
World
Migration and displacement affect children in many different ways. UNICEF emphasizes that children retain their rights to protection, care, education and essential services regardless of why or how they move.
START WITH THE SCALE
Movement happens within and across borders
Different datasets measure different forms of movement. Always ask what population is being counted, where, and when.
117.8M
Forcibly displaced
UNHCR reported 117.8 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2025.
UNHCR · Global Trends 2025
68.7M
Internally displaced
68.7 million people remained displaced within their own countries because of conflict or violence at the end of 2025.
UNHCR / IDMC · 2025
01 · UNDERSTAND THE TERMS
Migration is not one single experience
Before interpreting a statistic, identify what type of movement it describes.
Migration
Movement from one place to another. Migration can occur within a country or across international borders, temporarily or permanently, and for many different reasons.
International migration
Movement involving a change of country of residence. People may move for work, education, family, safety or other reasons.
Forced displacement
People may be forced to leave their homes because of persecution, conflict, violence, human-rights violations or other events seriously disturbing public order.
Internal displacement
People who are forced to leave their homes but remain within the borders of their own country. They are commonly called internally displaced people, or IDPs.
Refugee
A person who is outside their country and needs international protection because returning may expose them to serious danger or persecution under international refugee law.
Asylum-seeker
A person who has sought international protection and whose claim for refugee status or another form of protection has not yet received a final decision.
LOOK CLOSER
Most forcibly displaced people do not cross an international border
Internal displacement is a crucial part of the global picture. A person can lose a home, school, livelihood or access to health services without ever leaving their country.
This distinction matters because the legal protection systems, humanitarian responsibilities, services and available data can differ depending on where a person moves.
Data question:
If a person moves from one city to another
because of conflict but stays inside the same
country, are they an international migrant?
No. This can be internal displacement if the
movement was forced by conflict or violence.
58%
of all forcibly displaced people were
internally displaced at the end of 2025,
according to UNHCR's Global Trends reporting.
UNHCR Global Trends 2025
02 · EXPLORE THE DRIVERS
Why do people move?
Movement usually has multiple causes. Economic, social, political, environmental and personal factors can interact.
Work & opportunity
Employment, wages, education and the search for better opportunities can shape migration decisions.
Family & community
Family reunification, relationships and existing community networks influence where people move.
Conflict & persecution
Violence, persecution and insecurity can force people to leave homes and communities.
Disasters & climate
Floods, storms, drought, environmental degradation and other hazards can influence movement and displacement.
Education
Students and families may move to access schools, universities, training and other learning opportunities.
Multiple pressures
Real-life movement is often shaped by several pressures at once rather than one simple cause.
03 · CONNECT MOVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
Migration can change lives in more than one place
Migration affects people, families, communities, countries of origin, transit and destination.
Work & skills
Migrants contribute skills, labour, knowledge and entrepreneurship in destination communities.
Remittances
Money sent home by migrants can support households, education, health care, housing and local investment.
Knowledge networks
Migration can connect communities through ideas, professional networks, technology and social connections.
Unequal effects
Migration can also involve barriers, exploitation, discrimination, skills shortages or disruption to families and communities.
Data literacy:
The World Bank reports that remittances are an important
source of external finance for many low- and middle-income
countries. But a national total does not tell us how money
is distributed across households or communities.
04 · CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
Children on the move are children first
Migration and displacement can interrupt education, health care, family life, safety and social connection.
Education
Movement can interrupt schooling or make enrollment and continuity of learning difficult.
Health
Access to preventive care, vaccination, medicines, mental-health support and routine services can be disrupted.
Protection
Children who are separated from caregivers or living in unstable conditions may face additional protection risks.
Belonging
Language, culture, identity and relationships can influence how young people experience a new environment.
05 · THINK LIKE A DATA EXPLORER
Never treat every movement number as the same
One of the most important skills in global health is knowing exactly what a number represents.
Population
Is the number counting migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, returnees or another group?
Place
Is the statistic describing a country of origin, transit, destination or internal movement?
Time
Is it a stock measured at a particular date or a flow measured over a period?
Denominator
Is the number an absolute count, percentage, rate or share of a particular population?
Source
Who collected the data? UNHCR, IOM, UN DESA, national statistics or another organization?
Uncertainty
Are the data estimates, provisional figures or complete administrative counts?
GHE Data Explorer Rule
Who? Where? When? How measured? Compared with what?
06 · EXPLORE THE WORLD
Explore real migration and displacement data
Do not rely only on a headline number. Open the underlying data and investigate patterns yourself.
UNHCR
Refugee Data Finder
Explore refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, origins, destinations and demographic patterns.
Explore UNHCR data → UN DESAInternational Migrant Stock
Explore estimates of international migrants by destination, origin and sex across countries and years.
Explore UN data → IOMMigration Health
Investigate how mobility, health systems, emergencies and social conditions interact.
Explore IOM → IHMEGlobal Health Data Exchange
Explore population and migration estimates within the broader Global Burden of Disease data ecosystem.
Explore IHME →
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Migration is closely connected to the conditions in which people live
Migration itself is not automatically harmful to health. Health outcomes depend strongly on conditions before, during and after movement.
SDH
Ask not only “Where did someone move?” but also “What conditions shape their health before, during and after movement?”
Individual conditions
- Age and life stage
- Existing health needs
- Disability
- Language and health literacy
- Access to information
Social support
- Family separation or reunification
- Caregiver support
- Social networks
- Community connections
- Remittances and household resources
Living conditions
- Housing
- Water and sanitation
- Food security
- Schools
- Local health services
Systems & policy
- Health-system access
- Legal status
- Employment conditions
- Social protection
- Anti-discrimination policies
Global conditions
- Conflict
- Climate change
- Global inequality
- International governance
- Humanitarian crises
Conditions
→
Exposure
→
Access
→
Health
→
Well-being
WHO emphasizes that refugee and migrant health is strongly
connected with employment, income, education, housing,
access to services, discrimination and other social,
economic and environmental determinants.
GLOBAL HEALTH CONNECTION
Movement can change the health journey
Health needs can continue across borders and through different stages of movement.
01
Before movement
Health may already be shaped by conflict, poverty, environmental conditions, health-system access and previous care.
→
02
During movement
Continuity of medication, vaccination, nutrition, sanitation, safety and mental-health support can become difficult.
→
03
At destination
Language, legal, financial, administrative and cultural barriers can influence access to care.
→
04
Over time
Health can improve when people gain safety, stability, housing, education, employment and access to inclusive health systems.
HEALTH SYSTEM CONTINUITY
When people move, health services must move with them
Displacement can interrupt diagnosis, treatment, prevention, medicine supply chains and follow-up. This is particularly important for conditions where treatment continuity matters.
The Global Fund works with partners to maintain HIV, tuberculosis and malaria services during humanitarian and displacement crises.
Example: displacement and TB
In crisis settings, overcrowding, disrupted services, population movement and treatment interruptions can make tuberculosis prevention and care more difficult.
GLOBAL FUND
HIV · TB · Malaria
Maintaining prevention, diagnosis and treatment during displacement protects both displaced populations and host communities.
Explore Global Fund work →
CONNECT THE THREADS
Climate, disasters and movement
Environmental change can influence where people live and whether communities can safely remain where they are.
Heat
Extreme heat can affect health, livelihoods, water availability and habitability.
Flooding
Floods can damage homes, schools, health facilities and essential infrastructure.
Drought
Drought can affect agriculture, food security, water and household livelihoods.
Health systems
Disasters can interrupt health services and medicine supply chains, especially in fragile settings.
Think like a systems scientist:
How might climate change → affect livelihoods →
influence movement → alter health needs → affect
health systems?
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Migration connects multiple SDGs
Movement is not a separate topic from development. It intersects with poverty, health, education, inequality, cities, climate and global partnerships.
10
Reduced Inequalities
SDG 10 includes a specific target to facilitate safe, orderly, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people.
Target 10.7
3
Good Health & Well-being
Migrants and displaced people need equitable access to health services and continuity of care.
1
No Poverty
Poverty, opportunity and social protection can influence migration decisions and outcomes.
4
Quality Education
Children and young people on the move need continuity of learning and educational inclusion.
8
Decent Work
Safe employment, labour rights and fair conditions are central to healthy and sustainable migration.
11
Sustainable Cities
Cities need inclusive housing, transport, health, education and infrastructure for growing and changing populations.
13
Climate Action
Climate hazards can affect livelihoods, health, displacement and the resilience of communities.
17
Partnerships
Migration and displacement require cooperation across countries, institutions and sectors.
GHE DATA & GLOBAL HEALTH CHECK
12 questions: Migration & Movement
Test your understanding of concepts, data and connections between migration and health.
REFLECT · CONNECT · ACT
Become a Migration Data Explorer
Choose one country and investigate one migration or displacement indicator. Then ask:
01
Who is moving?
02
Why are they moving?
03
Where are they going?
04
What health or social conditions matter?
05
What data would you need next?
Every difference matters. Explore it.
TRUSTED SOURCES
Explore further
Use primary and authoritative sources whenever you investigate migration and health.
UNHCR
Global Trends & Refugee Data Finder
United Nations
International Migration
UN DESA
International Migrant Stock 2024
IOM
Migration Health
IOM
World Migration Report 2024
WHO
Refugee & Migrant Health
WHO
World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants
World Bank
Migration & Remittances
IHME
GBD Migration Estimates
UNICEF
Migrant & Displaced Children
The Global Fund
Migrants, Refugees & Displaced Populations
The Global Fund
Health & Climate