Migration frameworks in Africa

Migration has become a prominent issue in the international agenda in recent years due to the rise in its intensity and impact (actual/perceived) on national and international affairs. In 2019, the number of international migrants was estimated to have reached 272 million globally, constituting 3.5% of the global population. Out of this, over 21 million Africans are estimated to have lived in another African country in 2019 (IOM 2019, pp. 19, 54). Flahaux and De Haas (2016, p. 7) contend that the “total stocks of migration from Africa to the rest of the world and within Africa have increased between 1960, 1980 and 2000, while migration from the rest of the world to Africa has decreased in absolute numbers”. Nonetheless, as the data from UN DESA shows, the number of international migrants that Africa hosts has not been consistent across the three decades (1990–2019). Africa’s share of the global international migrant stock has not shown any meaningful change across the same period: 10% in 1990–95 before it dropped to 8% in 2000–10 and increased again to 9% in 2015–19, making its share to be 9.2% on average. Africa has also consistently been the fourth largest international migrants hosting region globally, following Europe, Asia, and North America.

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Published in: Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
See chapter on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003143840-59