4 types of migration data in Europe
Ranging from reports to statistics, surveys and historical databases
Migration has occurred for centuries and impacted the world as we know it today. In the past years, migrants have been heading to Europe due to for example political instability in their home country. By looking at five European countries with migration and immigration data, more insights in these demographic trends can be given.
Every year, the Dutch government releases a report on the Migration Chain, that reflects on several aspects of migration to and immigrants in the Netherlands. Subjects that are touched upon include the reason for immigration (work, study, or family reunion), the process of the asylum procedure, and sending the immigrant back to their home country. One of the statistics beings presented in the report is the shift of immigrants for study purposes. In 2016, there was an increase of 28% in the immigration for study purposes compared to a year earlier.
The United Kingdom presents a report on immigration statistics as well, which gives an overview of the work of various governmental departments and agencies dealing with migration. The data in the report comes from the International Passenger Survey, of which the methodological background is openly accessible too.
Besides recent data, historical data is also openly available in the European Open Data Portal. An example is the Swiss VSJF-database. This database contains datasets of refugees which have been registered by the Association of Swiss Jewish Refugee Aid and Welfare Organizations (VSJF), which is a private organization founded in 1925 for the aid to Jewish refugees who enter Switzerland. The dataset contains anonymized data of around 20.000 mostly Jewish refugees who entered Switzerland.
In Ireland, data related to population is available through the European Data Portal, amongst which is data on immigration and diversity in Ireland. Besides key statistics, appealing infographics are also included in the report.
Figure 1 Cropped image of the infographic on Irish migration and diversity in 2016.
Are you curious on recent or historical statistics on migration in your country or other European countries? Head towards the European Open Data Portal to discover more on this topic.