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During the period of 1965 – 2021, an estimated 440,000 people per year emigrated from Africa; a total number of 17 million migrants within Africa was estimated for 2005.[1]The figure of 0.44 million African emigrants per year (corresponding to about 0.05% of the continent's total population) pales in comparison to the annualpopulation growth of about 2.6%, indicating that only about 2% of Africa's population growth is compensated for by emigration.[2]
Northern African nations are diverse in culture, religion, ethnicity, nationalism, and language due to their strategic locations for commerce and their commercial trades withSouthern Africa, Europe, and thePersian Gulf region. In the last decades, emigration from North Africa, particularly from Tunisia,Morocco, and Algeria to Europe, North America, and Arab countries increased dramatically due to colonization, socio-political insecurity, extended war, and a high unemployment rate.[3]
TheMaghreb (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, andMauritania) hasn't been the end line for Southern and Sub-Saharan migrants. While few travelers from other parts of the continent settled down permanently, most used the Maghreb as a transit and temporary workplace. Europe has been the destination of 87% of North African emigrants. In the last decades, the emigration pattern of women, men, and children from Africa fluctuated due to Western countries' policy changes and the overtaking of the Persian Gulf labor jobs bySoutheast Asia workers. Emigration of North African people increased from 6.2 million to 9.3 million in 13 years from 2000 to 2013. Morocco-born residents in Europe doubled from 1993 to 2004. WhenEuro-Mediterranean countries suffered from an economic crisis in the 1970s, the governments of European nations modified their emigration law to limit legal and illegal emigration from Africa, but it failed. Since 1974, the emigration of women and children has increased remarkably as a consequence of Europe's emigration allowance for nuclear family reunification.[3][4]
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During the 2000s,North Africa had been receiving large numbers ofSub-Saharan African migrants "in transit", predominantly fromWest Africa, who plan to enter Europe. An annual 22,000 illegal migrants took the route from either Tunisia or Libya toLampedusa in the 2000–2005 period. This figure decreased in 2006, but it has increased greatly as a result of the 2011Tunisian revolution and the2011 Libyan civil war.
In 2005, 10,000 West African migrants heading for Europe were stranded in the Mauritanian port ofNouadhibou, and 20,000 sub-Saharan African migrants were waiting for an opportunity to cross to Europe in the Spanish enclaves in North Africa.[2]
For Sub-Saharan Africa, theWorld Bank report estimated a stock of 21.8 million (2.5% of population) emigrants vs. 17.7 million (2.1% of total population) immigrants.63.0% of migration was estimated as taking place intra-regionally, while 24.8% of migration was to high-incomeOECD countries.The top ten migration corridors were1. Burkina Faso–Côte d'Ivoire, 2. Zimbabwe–South Africa, 3. Côte d'Ivoire–Burkina Faso, 4. Uganda–Kenya, 5. Eritrea–Sudan,6. Mozambique–South Africa, 7. Mali–Côte d'Ivoire, 8. Democratic Republic of Congo–Rwanda, 9. Lesotho–South Africa, 10. Eritrea–Ethiopia.
| Year | Sub-Saharan African lawful permanent residents and Sub-Saharan African refugee arrivals to the United States[5] |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 52 000 |
| 2011 | 48 000 |
| 2012 | 54 000 |
| 2013 | 56 000 |
| 2014 | 58 000 |
| 2015 | 60 000 |
| 2016 | 78 000 |
| By country | United States[5] |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 280 000 |
| Ethiopia | 220 000 |
| Ghana | 160 000 |
| Kenya | 120 000 |
| South Africa | 100 000 |
| Somalia | 90 000 |
| Liberia | 80 000 |
| Zimbabwe | 50 000 |
| Tanzania | 50 000 |
| Cameroon | 50 000 |
| Percentage that would live in another country if had the means and opportunity to go[5] | |
|---|---|
| Ghana | 75 % of the pop. |
| Nigeria | 74 % of the pop. |
| Kenya | 54 % of the pop. |
| South Africa | 51 % of the pop. |
| Senegal | 46 % of the pop. |
| Tanzania | 43 % of the pop. |
The World BankMigration and Remittances Factbook of 2011 gives separate regional summaries for Sub-Saharan Africa on one hand and the Middle East and North Africa on the other. For both regions, there is a surplus of emigrants, even though a substantial part of migration takes place within each region.[6]
For the Middle East and North Africa, there was an estimated stock of 18.1 million (5.3% of population) emigrants vs. 12.0 million (3.5% of population) immigrants.31.5% of migration took place intra-regional, 40.2% was to high-income OECD countries. The main migration corridors for North Africa were identified asEgypt–Saudi Arabia,Algeria–FranceEgypt–Jordan,Morocco–France,Morocco–Spain,Morocco–Italy, andEgypt–Libya. The portion of refugees was estimated at 65.3% of migrants.
There is significant migration fromAfricato Europe.
As of 2007, there were an estimated seven million African migrants living inOECD countries. Of these, about half are ofNorth African origin, mostly residing inFrance,Italy,Belgium,Spain and theNetherlands, while the other half are ofSub-Saharan African origin, present throughout Western Europe, with significant concentrations inBelgium,France,Italy, theNetherlands,Portugal,Spain and theUnited Kingdom. The rate of migration is projected to increase in the coming decades, according toSir Paul Collier, a development economist.[7]
TheEuropean UnionFrontex agency's "Operation Hermes" is also monitoring theMediterranean between North Africa and Italy. Due to increased border controls along the Mediterranean, there has been a shift of preferred migration routes towardsGreece.
Approximate populations of African origin in Europe:
| European Union, Norway, and Switzerland[5] | |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 390 000 |
| South Africa | 310 000 |
| Somalia | 300 000 |
| Senegal | 270 000 |
| Ghana | 250 000 |
| Angola | 220 000 |
| Kenya | 180 000 |
| D. C. Congo | 150 000 |
| Cameroon | 150 000 |
| Ivory Coast | 140 000 |
| Sub-Saharan African asylum applicants to Europe[5] | |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 58 000 |
| 2011 | 84 000 |
| 2012 | 74 000 |
| 2013 | 91 000 |
| 2014 | 139 000 |
| 2015 | 164 000 |
| 2016 | 196 000 |
| 2017 | 168 000 |
Many young African students choose China as a destination, as the presence of Chinese industries and businesses in Africa has increased considerably in recent years.[9]
African immigration to the United States has been comparatively slight, totaling around 3,183,104 individuals as of 2010.[10]
There is also a record of people from Africa plus Central and South American countries such asBrazil,Panama andMexico who self-reported their country of origin.[10]
InAustralia, the number of immigrants from Africa has grown substantially since the 1990s, with most concentrated inSydney,Melbourne andPerth. The largest of theseAfrican Australian populations is the South African community, and the Census in 2011 recorded 145,683South Africa-born people in Australia. News anchorAnton Enus, the authorJ. M. Coetzee, and the singerSelwyn Pretorius are examples of local celebrities from this community. Also substantial is the 40,000-strongEgyptian Australian community, mostly concentrated in Sydney,[11] the 30,000-strongZimbabwean Australian community,[12] and the 28,000-strong Mauritian Australian community.[13]
The phrase brain drain originated in the 1950s in Britain, during the campaign to stop scholars' immigration to the USA, and since has been used to define the emigration of academics and businesspersons to developed countries. Millions of well-educated, intelligent, and wealthyAfrican-born people emigrated to the West and the USA for various reasons, such as seeking high-income job opportunities, higher education, freedom, safety, and a happy life. In 2000, African-born doctors and nurses accounted for 65000 and 70000 healthcare workforces in developed countries, respectively. The migration of scholars to developed countries negatively impacts the economy and healthcare qualities of 48 African countries. The migration ofphysicians and nurses has resulted in a highHIV AIDS-related death rate, high child mortality rate, and poor health in Africa.[14][15][16]
Especially sports talent.
But
People of African descent who reside inEurope, North America, and theMiddle East provide for their families, assist in reconstructing their nations following civil wars, and promote geopolitical stability through financial support to local communities and households. Although a small portion of globalremittances was sent to Africa, the remittance income climbed from 1.9 billion to 4.6 billion dollars between 1990 and 2000. In 2006, 1.6% of African GDP was generated from Africandiasporas. In 2008, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) received 6.2% of worldwide remittances. Despite sending substantial money, African diasporas have not brought significant changes in African economic development.[14][17]
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