Migrant stock and migration flow: two different numbers
A migrant stock is the number of people living in a country who were born, or are citizens, elsewhere, counted at one moment. A migration flow is the number of people who move in or out during a period. The two answer different questions and cannot be compared directly.
Stock: who lives where
The UN International Migrant Stock counts the people living outside their country of origin at mid-year. For the world in mid-2024, the UN estimate is 304 million. In 1990 it was 154 million.
A stock grows when people arrive and shrinks when migrants leave or die, so it reflects decades of earlier moves. Someone who moved 40 years ago and stayed is still counted.
Flow: who moves in a year
A flow counts moves during a period, such as arrivals and departures in a year. The UN World Population Prospects estimate a related measure, net migration: arrivals minus departures. For Germany in 2023 the UN estimates a net migration of 610,000. That is a balance over one year and cannot be compared directly with a stock.
How countries count migrants
Most countries count migrants by their country of birth. Some count by citizenship, which leaves out migrants who have become citizens and includes children of foreign citizens born in the country. Where the data do not include refugees, the UN adds them from refugee statistics. The country pages say which basis each country uses.
For many countries the latest figures are estimates carried forward from an older census, so recent changes may not show yet.
On Anthrotempo
The migration topic and the country profiles show stocks at mid-year, by country of destination and of origin. They never present a stock as yearly movement.
Last updated 26 October 2026