A new analysis by the Pew Research Centre has found that nearly half of the estimated 280 million people worldwide who live outside their country of birth are Christian, with migrants to the United States from Mexico and the Philippines making up a substantial portion. Source: CNA.
The study, released on Monday, found that in 2020 – the latest year figures are available – Christians made up an estimated 47 per cent of all people living outside their country of birth, while Muslims accounted for 29 per cent, followed by the religiously unaffiliated (13 per cent), Hindus (5 per cent), Buddhists (4 per cent), and Jews (1 per cent).
Over the past three decades, the total number of people living as international migrants has increased by 83 per cent, outpacing global population growth of 47 per cent, Pew noted.
Though the number of Christian migrants has similarly increased by 80 per cent in the past three decades, the overall religious makeup of migrants worldwide has remained relatively stable since 1990, the study says.
A large percentage of the world’s Christian migrants – 27 per cent, or 35.4 million – live in the US. Germany and Russia follow as the two most common destinations.
Christians make up a larger share of migrants than they do of the world’s population (30 per cent), and Mexico is by far the most common origin country for Christian migrants, making up 9 per cent of the world’s Christian migrants. According to the study, the US is their most common destination.
Other common routes for Christian migrants include migrating from Russia to Ukraine and vice versa, from the Philippines to the US, from Russia to Kazakhstan, and from Poland to Germany.
Syria is the most common origin country for Muslim migrants, and Muslims often move to places in the Middle East-North Africa region, like Saudi Arabia.
China is the most common origin country for religiously unaffiliated migrants, and the US is their most common destination.
FULL STORY
Study highlights that most migrants worldwide are Christian (By Jonah McKeown, CNA)
