🚢Global Migration Mirror: What OECD Numbers Reveal About the World’s Immigration Trends

Immigration is reshaping the economic and demographic landscapes of the world’s most developed nations — and the latest OECD data makes it crystal clear.

The U.S. holds the largest foreign-born population globally with over 50.6 million immigrants. Yet this vast number only constitutes 14% of the total population, underlining America’s immense scale. Meanwhile, Luxembourg tops the chart in relative terms: a staggering 50% of its population was born abroad, making it the most immigrant-dense country in the OECD.

Following Luxembourg are Switzerland (31%) and Australia (29%) — nations praised for stable economies and forward-looking immigration frameworks. In Canada, immigration surged post-COVID: new arrivals rose from 284,000 in 2020 to 468,000 in 2023, driven by proactive policies targeting skilled workers to offset aging demographics and labor shortages.

Sweden, Ireland, and Austria also maintain high shares of immigrant populations (20–21%), while countries like Estonia, Spain, Germany, and Norway hover between 15–17%, signaling moderate but steady openness.

On the flip side, Mexico (1%), Japan (2%), Poland (2%), and Türkiye (4%) remain at the bottom. Many of these nations are historically migrant-sending rather than receiving. Japan stands out as a cautionary outlier: despite an aging workforce and declining birthrate, strict immigration policies have limited foreign influx — though recent reforms signal a slow shift.

Migration is no longer a marginal trend — it’s a cornerstone of 21st-century geopolitics and economic sustainability.

What do you think — should nations open up more to skilled immigration, or protect domestic labor first? Let us know your take, #AMAGE community.