Migration to developed countries declines for second year – OECD

Migration to developed countries dwindled for a second year in a row in 2025, down 1.6 percent compared to the previous year, according to an OECD report published Thursday. While still experiencing high numbers, the 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries recorded 6.1 million new permanent immigrants in 2025, compared to 6.2 million the previous year.

There has been a backlash in many Western countries against the arrival of irregular migrants fleeing conflict, authoritarian rule and economic hardship in their home countries. Legal humanitarian migration dropped “sharply” by 26 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, the report found. Labour migration increased by 13 percent. While 2025 marked an overall decline in migration, the number of permanent immigrants settling for the long term was up 12 percent compared with 2019.

Three countries recorded a notable spike in permanent migrants in 2025. Portugal saw a 139-percent increase to 313,600 individuals, resulting from approvals of a backlog of pending residency permits. Spain saw a 25-percent increase to 460,500 people, notably after having broadened its residency policies. Italy saw a 45-percent increase to 248,800 people, largely attributed to a flux of family and labour migration.

Other countries saw significant declines in permanent migrants. The United States saw a 14-percent drop, although it still leads OECD countries, recording more than 1.2 million permanent migrants in 2025. Canada saw a 19-percent decrease to 393,800 people, and the United Kingdom a 32 percent decline to 295,800 people. – Asylum seekers down – India remained the leading country of origin for migratory flows to the OECD in 2024, ahead of China and Colombia, according to the latest available figures.

The 1.1 million asylum applications in 2025 marked a 22-percent decrease to OECD countries, excluding the United States, compared with the previous year, although remaining about 10 percent higher than 2019 figures. Men continue to account for the majority of migratory flows to OECD countries. According to the latest available data from 2024, women accounted for about 46 percent of new immigrants.

The OECD countries that admitted significantly more women than men were the United States and Ireland with 54 percent female immigrants; Sweden with 53 percent, and Israel, Chile, Australia and New Zealand with 52 percent. Migration poses an opportunity to boost long-term productivity in many countries, particularly in the face of aging populations, the OECD noted.

“With the OECD working-age population set to decrease by 8 percent by 2060, pushing overall growth downwards, reviving productivity growth is key to maintaining living standards,” said Mark Pearson, the OECD’s acting director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. “Immigrants now account for 16 percent of employment across the OECD, 3 percentage points more than a decade ago,” he added.

While labour participation rates remain at historic highs across the OECD in 2025, the report stated that the migrant rate was at an average 1.5 percentage points higher than native-born workers in 24 out of 34 OECD countries. The question “is not whether migration is good or bad for productivity, but how policies can maximise its potential,” Pearson said.