The 2025 Atlas of Migration is the latest reference book published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). It brings together official data on global migration and displacement from reliable sources, including Eurostat, UN agencies, the World Bank, and the International Labour Organisation. This makes it a trusted resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses,s and the public alike.
This edition focuses especially on conflict-related displacement and how wars and crises around the world are driving more people to move or flee. It also offers insight into migration to and within the European Union.
Global Migration at a Glance
| Migration Indicator | Latest Estimate |
| International migrants worldwide | 304 million (mid-2024) |
| Growth since 2000 | +75% (versus +34% world population) |
| Refugees worldwide | 42.5 million (mid-2025) |
- The number of people living in a country other than where they were born has steadily increased over the past two decades.
- The global refugee population has nearly tripled since 2012.
Where Refugees Live
The distribution of refugees is uneven across regions:
- Europe and the EU: ~7.7 million refugees, including ~4.4 million people displaced from Ukraine.
- Africa: ~9.2 million displaced.
- Asia: ~15 million displaced.
Despite hosting fewer refugees overall than Africa or Asia, the EU has seen the largest relative increase over the past five years (about +200%).
Migration Trends in the EU
1- Residence Permits
In 2024, EU Member States issued 3.5 million new residence permits, slightly down from 3.8 million in 2023. This ended a long period of rising permits that had only paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 60% of these new permits were for work and family reasons (32% work, 27% family).
- Spain, Germany, and Poland issued nearly half of all first-time permits to non-EU citizens.
- Malta and Cyprus led in permits per population, far above the EU average.
2- Asylum Applications
The number of first-time asylum applications in the EU is declining:
- 2023: over 1 million first applications.
- 2024: around 913,000 (-13%).
- 2025 (first eight months): ~449,000 — significantly lower than the same period in 2024.
Conflict and Forced Displacement
Conflict is a major factor driving migration and displacement. Today, more people are fleeing violence, instability, and the collapse of social systems than ever before. The Atlas highlights how violent crises around the world — such as in Myanmar, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela — shape large flows of displaced people.
Understanding these patterns helps governments and organisations prepare better, plan humanitarian responses, and design policies to address both immediate needs and longer-term solutions.
Why This Matters
Migration and displacement are complex global trends with social, economic, and humanitarian impacts worldwide. The Atlas’s data help:
- Policymakers make evidence-based decisions.
- Researchers understand movement patterns and drivers.
- Public audiences see clear, reliable migration facts.
The data show that while migration numbers are high and growing, they must be understood in context — not as isolated events but as part of broader global changes.