(ANSA) - NEW YORK, JAN 16 - The Covid-19 pandemic has reduced migration by almost 30%, with about two million fewer migrants between 2019 and 2020, according to a United Nations report.
The number of migrants living outside their country of origin reached 281 million people in 2020, up from 173 million in 2000 and 221 million in 2010.
According to the "International Migration 2020" report of the Population Division of the Department of Business two thirds of registered migrants live in just 20 countries, with the United States at the top of the list (51 million international migrants in 2020).
Followed by Germany (16 million), Saudi Arabia (13 million), Russia (12 million) and the United Kingdom (9 million).
India tops the list of countries with the largest spores in 2020, with 18 million people from India living outside their country of birth.
Massive presence of migrants is also recorded in Mexico and Russia (11 million each), China (10 million) and Syria (8 million).
In 2020, the largest number of international migrants resided in Europe, with a total of 87 million, with North Africa and West Asia nearly 50 million each.
Also last year, nearly half of international migrants resided in their region of origin, with Europe accounting for the largest share of intra-regional migration.
70% of migrants born in Europe live in a European country different from that of birth.
(HANDLE).