India has ranked as the top country of origin for new migrants to OECD countries in 2021, replacing China. As per partial data, it retained the top position in 2022.

In 2021, approximately half a million Indians migrated to OECD countries, according to an International Migration Outlook 2023 report. The report provides an overview of the latest policy responses to climate change displacements.

Migrants data for 2021:

India: 0.41 million new migrants; 0.13 million acquired the nationality of an OECD country

China: 0.23 million new migrants

Romania: 200,000 new migrants

Overall, in 2021, acquisitions primarily occurred in the US (54,000), Australia (26,000), and Canada (21,000). 0.19 million Mexicans were granted OCED nationality.

Key highlights:

The report highlights the growing interest in climate change-influenced displacement policies. However, OECD reports that few countries have implemented explicit measures to address this issue.

In April 2023, Colombia’s Congress initiated discussions on a bill to acknowledge climate-induced displacement, marking the first of its kind in Latin America. The bill, which aims to improve access to housing, health services, and education, has been approved in the first of four rounds of discussion.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused the greatest level of internal displacement and refugee inflows in the OECD. More than ten million individuals were internally displaced or turned into refugees.

India (+172%), Uzbekistan (+122%), and Turkey (+240%) saw significant increases in worker migration, making them the main countries of origin after Ukraine.