The United Nations recently released a set of statistics showing that over 45 million immigrants reside in the United States, which is more than four times that of any other country in the world. The countries with the highest number of immigrants are also among the most populous in the world, with both the United States and Russia being in the top ten most populous countries globally.
Experts point out that most of these countries have policies that are relatively welcoming to high-skilled immigrant workers, and nearly all countries are attempting to attract high-skilled immigrant workers. One reason for the gap between policies and immigrant populations is that some countries are more attractive. For instance, the per capita GDP of the United States in 2012 exceeded $49,900, ranking among the highest in the world. The main driving forces attracting immigrant populations are financial factors and employment opportunities. Below are the countries with the highest number of immigrants:
1 United States
Number of immigrants: 45.8 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 14.3%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $49,922
2 Russia
Number of immigrants: 11 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 7.7%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $17,709
3 Germany
Number of immigrants: 9.8 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 11.9%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $39,028
4 Saudi Arabia
Number of immigrants: 9.1 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 31.4%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $31,275
5 United Arab Emirates
Number of immigrants: 7.8 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 83.7%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $49,012
6 United Kingdom
Number of immigrants: 7.8 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 12.4%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $36,941
7 France
Number of immigrants: 7.4 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 11.6%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $35,548
8 Canada
Number of immigrants: 7.3 million
Percentage of immigrants in total population: 20.7%
Per capita GDP in 2012: $42,734
