Every year, thousands of people shift around the world and call new countries home – but which countries?

Migrants are the people who move between one country and another, eventually settling in a country they love. A Refugee is a person who takes refuge in another country. An asylum seeker is someone who has been forced out of their home country by war or other circumstances and is forced to take up refuge in another country. Until they find a safe haven, they remain asylum seekers.

The 7 Countries with the Most Migrant Populations.

Whether accepting asylum seekers or ex-patriots with financial backing, these 7 countries have the biggest migrant populations.

1 – The UK

The UK does not have the highest migrant population, but it almost tops 9.4 million. The UK public show a definitive split between those that welcome asylum seekers and those who don’t. Since opinions on immigration are so divided here, there are those who will attempt to slow your progress. If you arrive ‘illegally’ seeking asylum, or if you want your whole family to enter the UK via a legal route, you will need a qualified, award-winning, and friendly team of UK Immigration Solicitors to represent you. Hiring a solicitor speeds up the process and gives you the best chance at success.

2 – The US

The US have the largest population of migrants; about 27% of the countries entire population. This makes sense, since America contains the largest diverse population. From native people to European, African, Middle Eastern and Asian people, the US has population pockets from all over the world. The unfortunate part of being the largest country accepting the biggest influx is that immigration wait times are longer than other countries might be.

3 – Germany

The population in Germany is 17.3% migrants. As of 2021, 14.2 million Germans were descended from migrants. Germany took in over a million Ukrainian refugees recently, with more than 244,000 people applying for asylum each year. Why? It is a good place to live and work. The crime rates are low and transport links are excellent. The German government welcome asylum seekers, making it a matter of national pride.

4 – Russia

Russia is not just one big country where everyone acts like the people in Moscow. Russia is a collective of countries who all have a vote, but who Moscow works hard to stay the centre of. As a result, finding exact figures for how many migrants live in Russia is difficult. If you think about the 21 republics within Russia as the states of America or Kingdoms of Europe, you soon realise the potential for accepting asylum seekers is massive. Each republic keeps its own stats. The smallest of Russia’s states is Altai, has a population of 206 thousand people. The largest is Bashkortostan, with over 4 million people.

5 – Saudi Arabia

According to the UN report in 2020, Saudi Arabia has the third largest population of foreign nationals. Whether this is due to the countries critical placement or whether this is because this is one of the richest countries in the world is a bit of a guess. There are 12 million foreign nationals in SA. The Foreign ministry says they have 2.5 million Syrian refugees so far.

6 – The United Arab Emirates

The UAE is another collection of countries, similar to Russia. They have 200+ nationalities, so technically everyone other than the 10% who are Emiratis are foreign nationals. India and Pakistan represent the largest population of foreign nationals. 28% of Indians are foreigners while 12% of Pakistanis are immigrants. Since they are many states of one body, there are no defined rules on accepting asylum seekers. Usually individual states will welcome them rather than turning them away.

7 – France and Canada

France and Canada are known for their hospitality to newcomers. They have strict visa rules for foreign nationals and always accept asylum seekers. Canada has a large population of ex-pats, who visit and never go home. France has a larger number of refugees. If you consider geographical location, Canada doesn’t border many countries whose people are endangered. On the other hand, France is one of the most central and largest countries in Europe. Either of these countries are a good place to settle. France with 8.5 million and Canada with 8,0 million.

Thinking of Emigrating?

If you are looking to emigrate abroad, these countries offer the infrastructure to support you alongside multiple opportunities to explore. There is no reason not to move to a new country, especially not if your old one is a danger to you.