A global snapshot of migration patterns shows that in 43 countries and territories, international migrants make up less than 1% of the population. The figures underline how unevenly migration is distributed around the world, with some places remaining overwhelmingly made up of native-born residents.
The data also points to the scale of this pattern: nearly three-fifths of the world’s population lives in countries with very low levels of immigration. That means low-migrant-share societies are not a niche phenomenon, but a major part of the global demographic picture.
The headline finding highlights an important contrast in international migration debates. Public discussion often centers on countries with large migrant communities, but the broader map shows many nations where cross-border population movement has a limited effect on overall population makeup.
Taken together, the numbers suggest that global migration is concentrated in a smaller group of destination countries, while many other states and territories continue to have migrant populations well below 1%. The result is a world in which migration remains highly visible in some regions but relatively minor in many others.
