In 2006, more people left Asia and the Pacific than entered it.

This region has a crude net migration rate similar to that of Africa, but considerably lower than that of the Latin American and Caribbean region, which has the highest net outflow rate among all the regions of the world. North America, in contrast, is the region with the highest crude net migration rate, at 4.7 per 1,000 population, followed by Europe, at 2.4 per 1,000 population. These two regions have the highest net inflow rates among all the regions of the world.

Among country groupings within Asia and the Pacific, the Central Asian countries had the highest outflow rate of people, with an average of 8 migrants per 1,000 population between 1995 and 2000, and an average of 4 migrants per 1,000 between 2000 and 2005. The relative outflows are must higher in several Pacific island States for which no aggregate figure is given in table 3.1.

The Federated States of Micronesia has the highest negative net migration rate in Asia and the Pacific, with an average outflow of 18 people per 1,000 population. Micronesians have mainly moved to Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and, to a lesser extent, Palau.

Timor-Leste now has the highest net inflow rate of migrants in Asia and the Pacific, with 21 migrants per 1,000 population, in stark contrast to the negative crude net migration rate of 41 migrants per 1,000 population registered during the years of conflict. Booming cities Singapore and Macao, China, are also among the areas with the highest crude migration rates in this region, receiving around 10 migrants per 1,000 population annually.

It is noteworthy that all countries with negative net migration have been experiencing this phenomenon over the last 15 years. The economic and social implications of this are significant, as a decline in population through constant outflows of migrants can only be compensated for by high fertility rates, which most of these countries do not have.

Half of the bottom 15 countries with negative net migration rates are in Central Asia. Emigration from this region is directed mainly towards the Russian Federation and, to a lesser extent, Europe. According to some estimates, there are about 700,000 Armenian migrants in the Russian Federation, the same number from Kyrgyzstan, and 600,000 from Tajikistan. Azerbaijan, with 1.5 million, has the highest number of migrants in the Russian Federation (University of California Davis, 2006).

These figures are reflected in the stock of migrants in Asia and the Pacific. The Russian Federation has the highest number of migrants in the region, with over 12 million foreign citizens; slightly above the number it had in 1990. India has the second largest stock of migrants in the region, but almost 2 million less than in 1990. The migrant stocks of Pakistan, at over 3 million, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, at close to 2 million, have fallen by half during the last 15 years.

Figure 3.1 Stock of foreign migrants in selected Asian and Pacific countries/areas, 1990 and 2005

While the migrant stocks number in millions, it is interesting that they represent only 1.2 per cent of the total population of Asia and the Pacific, compared with 1.6 per cent in 1990.

In high-income countries, the share of international migrants in the total population has also increased during the last decade and a half. In 2005, migrants represented 6 per cent of the population in high-income countries, far above the 1 per cent in middle-income countries, as shown in table 3.1.

The share of migrants in the total population of landlocked developing countries declined substantially, from 9.3 per cent in 1990 to 5.6 per cent in 2005. The share of migrants in Central Asian countries decreased at a similar rate, standing currently at 7 per cent, compared with 12 per cent in 1990.

The highest shares of migrants in Asia and the Pacific are found in the Pacific islands. Two thirds of the population of Guam is of foreign origin, consisting mainly of migrants from the Federated States of Micronesia and the Philippines. For most of the countries/areas in the Pacific, however, the share of immigrants has decreased during the last decade and a half.

Figure 3.2 Foreign population as a share of the total population in selected Asian and Pacific countries/areas, 1990 and 2005

Singapore, Macao, China, and Hong Kong, China, also have high shares of immigrant populations. In Singapore and Hong Kong, China, over 40 per cent of the total population is of foreign origin; in Macao, China, it is more than half. Among the developed countries of Asia and the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have the highest shares of immigrants, with over 20 and 16 per cent of the total population, respectively.