A global ranking of countries by net migration rate, based on the latest international data showing the balance between immigration and emigration in each country.
Net migration refers to the number of immigrants entering a country minus the number of emigrants leaving it, including both citizens and non-citizens.
The movement of people through migration is a major part of global integration, with migrants contributing to the economies of both their host countries and countries of origin.
Countries with the highest and lowest net migration rates
A positive net migration rate means more people are entering a country than leaving it. A negative net migration rate means more people are leaving a country than entering it. Net migration rates are measured per 1,000 population.
Highest net migration
- South Sudan
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Oman
- United Arab Emirates
- Chad
- Armenia
- Montenegro
- Lithuania
- Seychelles
- Qatar
Lowest net migration
- Marshall Islands
- Cook Islands
- Tuvalu
- Sudan
- Tonga
- Kosovo
- Greece
- Nepal
- Samoa
- Nauru
Key findings
- 100 countries and dependencies have a positive net migration rate, meaning more people are entering than leaving.
- 128 countries and dependencies have a negative net migration rate, meaning more people are leaving than entering.
- 12 countries and dependencies have a net migration rate of zero.
- South Sudan has the world’s highest net migration rate, with 39.6 migrants per 1,000 population.
- Saint Martin (territory) has the world’s lowest net migration rate at –61.7 migrants per 1,000 population.
- Among countries and dependencies with a positive net migration rate, Burundi and Argentina have the joint-lowest rate at 0.1 migrants per 1,000 population.
According to the United Nations, there were an estimated 304 million international migrants worldwide in 2024, nearly double the number recorded in 1990. In 2020, around 66% of international migrants lived in just 20 countries, with high-income nations hosting the majority. More than 40% of international migrants worldwide were born in Asia, while Mexico and Russia were also among the world’s largest countries of origin for migrants.
Countries ranked by net migration rate
The table shows 237 of the world’s countries and dependencies ranked by net migration rate using the latest available data in 2026.
The figures are based on 2023 estimates from the United Nations World Population Prospects report, which provides internationally comparable demographic projections for countries and territories worldwide.
Some countries and territories may be omitted due to insufficient or unavailable data.
| Country | Net Migration Rate (per 1,000 population) |
|---|---|
| South Sudan | 39.6 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 32.1 |
| Oman | 31.0 |
| Tokelau | 30.4 |
| United Arab Emirates | 28.2 |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | 27.4 |
| Chad | 25.7 |
| Armenia | 25.5 |
| Montenegro | 18.9 |
| Saint Barthélemy | 18.0 |
| Gibraltar | 17.9 |
| Lithuania | 15.7 |
| British Virgin Islands | 15.1 |
| Seychelles | 14.1 |
| Anguilla | 13.9 |
| Qatar | 13.4 |
| Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 13.3 |
| Andorra | 13.1 |
| Bahrain | 12.7 |
| Cayman Islands | 12.6 |
| Malta | 12.4 |
| China, Macao SAR | 12.3 |
| Iceland | 11.9 |
| Canada | 11.0 |
| Faroe Islands | 10.9 |
| Kuwait | 10.3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 9.8 |
| Western Sahara | 9.7 |
| Norway | 9.7 |
| Luxembourg | 8.9 |
| Ireland | 8.4 |
| Netherlands | 8.0 |
| Germany | 7.2 |
| Finland | 6.8 |
| Cyprus | 6.5 |
| United Kingdom | 6.5 |
| Puerto Rico | 6.1 |
| Guernsey | 5.9 |
| Liechtenstein | 5.4 |
| Australia | 5.3 |
| Malaysia | 5.2 |
| Denmark | 5.2 |
| Sweden | 5.2 |
| Hungary | 5.1 |
| Switzerland | 5.1 |
| Singapore | 4.7 |
| Jersey | 4.6 |
| Estonia | 4.2 |
| Latvia | 4.2 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 4.2 |
| New Zealand | 4.1 |
| Namibia | 3.9 |
| United States of America | 3.9 |
| South Africa | 3.6 |
| Belgium | 3.6 |
| Chile | 3.2 |
| Colombia | 3.0 |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 2.9 |
| Portugal | 2.8 |
| Curaçao | 2.8 |
| Egypt | 2.7 |
| Croatia | 2.6 |
| Somalia | 2.5 |
| Italy | 2.5 |
| Slovenia | 2.5 |
| Spain | 2.5 |
| Bahamas | 2.5 |
| Isle of Man | 2.3 |
| Monaco | 2.3 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2.2 |
| Turkmenistan | 2.0 |
| Solomon Islands | 2.0 |
| Republic of Korea | 1.7 |
| New Caledonia | 1.7 |
| Panama | 1.6 |
| Japan | 1.4 |
| France | 1.4 |
| Aruba | 1.4 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1.4 |
| Belize | 1.4 |
| Israel | 1.1 |
| Slovakia | 0.9 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0.8 |
| Bulgaria | 0.8 |
| Peru | 0.7 |
| Mauritania | 0.6 |
| Serbia | 0.6 |
| Zambia | 0.5 |
| Georgia | 0.5 |
| Austria | 0.5 |
| Djibouti | 0.4 |
| Mayotte | 0.4 |
| Gabon | 0.4 |
| Bhutan | 0.4 |
| Thailand | 0.3 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 0.2 |
| Russian Federation | 0.2 |
| Costa Rica | 0.2 |
| Burundi | 0.1 |
| Argentina | 0.1 |
| Niger | 0.0 |
| Saint Helena | 0 |
| Mongolia | 0 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 0 |
| Holy See | 0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 0 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 |
| Saint Lucia | 0 |
| Bermuda | 0 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 0 |
| Vanuatu | 0 |
| Niue | 0 |
| Saint Martin (French part) | -61.7 |
| Marshall Islands | -47.2 |
| Cook Islands | -39.2 |
| Tuvalu | -32.9 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | -29.3 |
| Sudan | -27.0 |
| American Samoa | -24.4 |
| Tonga | -20.8 |
| Kosovo (under UNSC res. 1244) | -16.9 |
| Greece | -15.6 |
| Nepal | -13.8 |
| Samoa | -13.0 |
| Nauru | -12.5 |
| Micronesia (Fed. States of) | -10.1 |
| Wallis and Futuna Islands | -9.4 |
| Albania | -9.0 |
| Martinique | -8.9 |
| Azerbaijan | -8.2 |
| Ukraine | -8.0 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | -7.7 |
| Guyana | -7.5 |
| Eswatini | -6.9 |
| Pakistan | -6.5 |
| Republic of Moldova | -6.1 |
| Zimbabwe | -6.0 |
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | -6.0 |
| Lebanon | -5.9 |
| Guadeloupe | -5.8 |
| Greenland | -5.7 |
| San Marino | -5.6 |
| Maldives | -5.5 |
| United States Virgin Islands | -5.2 |
| French Polynesia | -4.8 |
| State of Palestine | -4.6 |
| Eritrea | -4.4 |
| Réunion | -4.1 |
| Timor-Leste | -4.1 |
| Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | -4.0 |
| El Salvador | -3.7 |
| Kiribati | -3.7 |
| Türkiye | -3.6 |
| French Guiana | -3.6 |
| Fiji | -3.6 |
| Jamaica | -3.5 |
| Bangladesh | -3.2 |
| North Macedonia | -3.1 |
| Dominican Republic | -3.1 |
| Dominica | -3.0 |
| Guam | -3.0 |
| Central African Republic | -2.8 |
| Haiti | -2.7 |
| Montserrat | -2.7 |
| Uganda | -2.6 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | -2.6 |
| Botswana | -2.6 |
| Comoros | -2.4 |
| Cabo Verde | -2.3 |
| Mauritius | -2.2 |
| Lesotho | -2.2 |
| Cuba | -2.1 |
| Tajikistan | -1.9 |
| Cambodia | -1.8 |
| Paraguay | -1.8 |
| Mali | -1.7 |
| Grenada | -1.6 |
| Suriname | -1.6 |
| Jordan | -1.5 |
| Romania | -1.5 |
| China, Taiwan Province of China | -1.4 |
| Philippines | -1.4 |
| Czechia | -1.4 |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | -1.3 |
| Afghanistan | -1.2 |
| Sri Lanka | -1.2 |
| Nicaragua | -1.2 |
| Ecuador | -1.2 |
| Mozambique | -1.1 |
| Morocco | -1.1 |
| Tunisia | -1.1 |
| Burkina Faso | -1.1 |
| Gambia | -1.1 |
| Brazil | -1.1 |
| Palau | -1.1 |
| Liberia | -0.9 |
| Viet Nam | -0.8 |
| Mexico | -0.8 |
| Guinea-Bissau | -0.7 |
| India | -0.7 |
| Rwanda | -0.6 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | -0.6 |
| Algeria | -0.6 |
| Senegal | -0.6 |
| Myanmar | -0.6 |
| Sierra Leone | -0.5 |
| China, Hong Kong SAR | -0.5 |
| Guatemala | -0.5 |
| Honduras | -0.5 |
| China | -0.4 |
| Uruguay | -0.4 |
| Malawi | -0.3 |
| Libya | -0.3 |
| Ghana | -0.3 |
| Guinea | -0.3 |
| Nigeria | -0.3 |
| Belarus | -0.3 |
| Barbados | -0.3 |
| Kenya | -0.2 |
| Cameroon | -0.2 |
| Congo | -0.2 |
| Togo | -0.2 |
| Kazakhstan | -0.2 |
| Uzbekistan | -0.2 |
| Poland | -0.2 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | -0.2 |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | -0.2 |
| Ethiopia | -0.1 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | -0.1 |
| Dem. People's Republic of Korea | -0.1 |
| Indonesia | -0.1 |
| Iraq | -0.1 |
| Yemen | -0.1 |
| Papua New Guinea | -0.1 |
| Madagascar | -0.0 |
| Angola | -0.0 |
| Benin | -0.0 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024 Revision. Data retrieved from the UN Population Division database.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.