Volume 28 - Article 18 | Pages 505–546
Estimating global migration flow tables using place of birth data
By Guy Abel
Abstract
Background: International migration flow data often lack adequate measurements of volume, direction and completeness. These pitfalls limit empirical comparative studies of migration and cross national population projections to use net migration measures or inadequate data.
Objective: This paper aims to address these issues at a global level, presenting estimates of bilateral flow tables between 191 countries.
Methods: A methodology to estimate flow tables of migration transitions for the globe is illustrated in two parts. First, a methodology to derive flows from sequential stock tables is developed. Second, the methodology is applied to recently released World Bank migration stock tables between 1960 and 2000 (Özden et al. 2011) to estimate a set of four decadal global migration flow tables.
Results: The results of the applied methodology are discussed with reference to comparable estimates of global net migration flows of the United Nations and models for international migration flows.
Comments: The proposed methodology adds to the limited existing literature on linking migration flows to stocks. The estimated flow tables represent a first-of-a-kind set of comparable global origin destination flow data.
Author’s Affiliation
Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research
            Non-zero trajectories for long-run net migration assumptions in global population projection models
            
                Volume 38 - Article 54
        
            Integrating uncertainty in time series population forecasts: An illustration using a simple projection model
            
                Volume 29 - Article 43
        
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
            Modelling the age and sex profiles of net international migration
            
                Volume 53 - Article 19
                | Keywords: 
                    age,
                    estimation,
                    international migration,
                    net migration,
                    sex
        
            The distortion of fertility due to migration: A comparative analysis of migrants in the Netherlands and stayers in Poland
            
                Volume 53 - Article 12
                | Keywords: 
                    international migration,
                    low-fertility,
                    migrants,
                    Netherlands,
                    Poland,
                    selectivity
        
            A multidimensional global migration model for use in cohort-component population projections
            
                Volume 51 - Article 11
                | Keywords: 
                    age dependency,
                    education,
                    international migration,
                    migration,
                    modelling,
                    population projection,
                    projections
        
            Which definition of migration better fits Facebook ‘expats’? A response using Mexican census data
            
                Volume 50 - Article 39
                | Keywords: 
                    census data,
                    Facebook,
                    international migration,
                    Mexico,
                    social media
        
            Reducing uncertainty in Delphi surveys: A case study on immigration to the EU
            
                Volume 49 - Article 36
                | Keywords: 
                    European Union,
                    immigration,
                    international migration,
                    migration flows
        
Download to Citation Manager
PubMed
Google Scholar