Global Program
The Global Program acts as a policy laboratory for innovative, evidence-based, and politically feasible solutions to migration policy challenges. From direct policy advice to deep comparative research, its work interrogates policy design and effectiveness, helps countries newer to immigration learn from innovation and evidence in other regions, and anticipates how demographic, economic, and technological shifts will reshape migration in the years ahead. It supports governments in responding to crises with greater coordination and foresight, and provides a trusted off-the-record space for engaging with sensitive topics. Its main geographical focus is Europe, the Americas, and Australia, but it increasingly works with governments and other partners worldwide, including in East Africa and Asia. For more on the Global Program, click here.
Featured
How Europe Was Transformed by the 2015-16 Migration and Refugee Crisis
Ten years after the 2015-16 migration and refugee crisis, the European Union has reshaped its process for dividing up asylum claims and controlling…
The Shifting Financing of Responses to Venezuelan Displacement
Financing for Latin American responses to Venezuelan displacement has changed over the years, and new approaches are needed in light of foreign aid…
Migration Diplomacy in an Age of Transactionalism
As international cooperation frays, balanced diplomacy—rather than coercive dealmaking—promises the most effective approach to emerging migration…
More Featured Work
Key Statistics
International migrants comprise 3.7 percent of the global population. Learn more about them
304 million
The number of migrants globally in 2024
50.6 million
The number who as of 2025 were refugees or asylum seekers
94 million
The number of international migrants in Europe—the top destination globally
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What Does It Take to Increase Refugees’ Access to Education and Work? Insights from Ethiopia
Ethiopia made sweeping promises to integrate 900,000 refugees into schools and workplaces; what changed on the ground?
Translating Principles into Action: Countries Set New Agenda on the Los Angeles Declaration’s Second Anniversary
Two years after signing the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, governments from across the Americas met in Guatemala to assess the state of cooperation in the hemisphere. Working with nongovernmental and international organizations, they also produced an agenda for practical action for the next year, as this commentary explains.
De los principios a la acción: una nueva agenda para el segundo aniversario de la Declaración de Los Ángeles
Dos años después de la firma de La Declaración de Los Ángeles sobre Migración y Protección, los gobiernos de a través de las Américas se reunieron en Guatemala para analizar el estado de cooperación en el hemisferio. Organizaciones no gubernamentales e internacionales produjeron una agenda de acción práctica para el próximo año. Se explica en este comentario.
Mapping Global Human Mobility in an Increasingly Complex World
Featuring the IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, this webinar explored trends of human mobility in a post-pandemic world, with climate change adding to the complexity of movements.
Competing for Talent: What Role Can Employment- and Skills-Based Mobility Projects Play?
Skills-based mobility projects face scale challenges. Better planning, private-sector buy-in, and longer timeframes are needed to match workers with jobs across borders.
The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 shut down global mobility during the first year of the pandemic. But 2022 saw a rapid rebound. This IOM-MPI report reveals shifting patterns post-pandemic, from Gulf labor flows to climate-driven displacement.
Coordination Breakdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Europe
COVID-19 disrupted migration across Europe, exposing coordination failures. The EU Digital COVID Certificate offers a model for future crisis preparedness.
Converging Crises: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in South America
COVID-19 border closures deepened migrants' precarity in South America, excluding millions of displaced Venezuelans from jobs, legal status, and social protections in their host countries.
Diverging Paths: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in the Middle East and North Africa
COVID-19 sharpened divides in the MENA region: The mass departure of migrant workers allowed high-income Gulf states to pursue labor reforms, while North Africa and Lebanon faced compounding crises.
Mobility Shutdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Asia and the Pacific
COVID-19 caused a prolonged mobility shutdown across Asia and the Pacific, devastating labor markets, tourism, and education. Migrants bore disproportionate burdens.
