A new analysis by the Pew Research Center has found that nearly half of the estimated 280 million people worldwide who live outside their country of birth are Christians. A significant proportion of these are immigrants from Mexico and the Philippines who have immigrated to the United States. Source: CNA.
The study, released on Monday, found that in 2020 – the most recent year available – an estimated 47 percent of all people living outside their country of birth were Christians, while 29 percent were Muslims, followed by non-religious people (13 percent), Hindus (5 percent), Buddhists (4 percent) and Jews (1 percent).
According to Pew, the total number of people living as international migrants has increased by 83 percent over the past three decades, outpacing global population growth of 47 percent.
Although the number of Christian migrants has increased by 80 percent in the past three decades, the religious composition of migrants worldwide has remained relatively stable since 1990, the study says.
A large proportion of Christian migrants worldwide – 27 percent or 35.4 million – live in the United States. Germany and Russia are the two most common destination countries.
Christians make up a larger share of migrants than the world’s population (30 percent), and Mexico is by far the most common country of origin for Christian migrants, accounting for 9 percent of all Christian migrants worldwide. The United States is their most common destination, according to the study.
Other common routes for Christian migrants include emigration from Russia to Ukraine and vice versa, from the Philippines to the USA, from Russia to Kazakhstan and from Poland to Germany.
Syria is the most common country of origin for Muslim migrants, and Muslims often move to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Saudi Arabia.
The most common country of origin for non-religious migrants is China, and the United States is their most common destination country.
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Study shows that most migrants worldwide are Christians (By Jonah McKeown, CNA)
