The purpose of the World Migration Report is to provide an authoritative account of contemporary trends, issues, and problems in the field of international migration. For the first time, a comprehensive review of trends in international migration in each major region of the world is presented together with a discussion of some of the main migration policy issues now facing the international community.

The book is divided into two parts. The first examines the scale of migration and characteristics of international migrants, the types of movements now underway, the factors that contribute to migration, the global context in which these movements occur, and the policy issues associated with these trends. The second part reviews migration trends and recent policy developments in major migration regions of the world. In nine separate regional chapters, trends in immigration and emigration are examined along with such key issues as the integration of migrants, the consequences of irregular migration, and the extent of interregional cooperation between states.