An international report shows a 49 percent rise in migrants over the past 17 years and that ever more live in wealthier nations. It notes that despite a drop in migrant landings on Europe's shores, over 3,000 people died trying to reach the continent via the Mediterranean Sea in 2017.
More people are leaving their countries of origin to live in other nations, according to the United Nations.
In its report on international migration published this week, the UN's International Organization for Migration says the number of migrants this year reached about 258 million, a 49 percent increase on the year 2000.
The percentage of the world's population classified as migrants remains under 3.5 percent and has risen little in the past 17 years. But, the report says, there was a higher rise in the number of those living in wealthier countries.
''Reliable figures and documents are essential to prevent the spread of mistaken ideas on migrants and to direct migration policies,''
Liu Zhenmin, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, says.
UN members agreed last year to distribute refugees
In September 2016, all the 193 UN members adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which established that no country can manage international migration alone.
It was on this basis that UN member states agreed on the need to implement policies that could distribute refugees in a more equal manner, and to fight against xenophobia and intolerance and for human rights.
Above all, the declaration decided that a Global Compact would be adopted in 2018 for safe and regulate migration. The 'global pact' was strongly supported by former US president Barack Obama but disapproved of by his successor, Donald Trump, who said that it was incompatible with US sovereignty and migration policies.
Wealthier countries hosting a larger share
According to the UN report, in 2017 the wealthiest countries in the world hosted 64 percent of migrants internationally: about 165 million people.
It says the US hosted the largest share of migrants at 49.8 million people, followed by Germany and Russia with 12 million and then the UK with 9 million.
The report also notes that without migration, Europe's population would have dropped in the years between 2000 and 2015.
Migration in the Mediterranean area
The number of migrants and refugees arriving on European shores from January until December 2017 has almost halved compared with last year -- this year 163,314 people made the journey successfully. Of them, most arrived in Italy and the rest in Greece, Cyprus or Spain.
The journey remains treacherous -- the IOM reports that in 2017, more than 3,100 lost their lives trying to reach Europe by sea.