Around 19 million people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have migrated to Gulf countries since 2010, making the region one of the world's largest migration corridors, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.
The study, conducted by researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the University of Hong Kong, estimates that an average of 1.35 million people per year moved from the three South Asian countries to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates over the past 16 years.
Researchers found that the migration flow significantly exceeded the 13.6 million movements recorded from Mexico to the United States since 1990, highlighting the scale of labour migration to the Gulf region.
According to the study, the Middle East experienced the highest total inflow of migrants globally, with workers arriving primarily from South Asia and the Philippines. Migration from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia alone averaged about 300,000 people annually from 2010 onwards.
The researchers developed what they describe as the first comprehensive dataset tracking migration flows between all countries from 1990 to 2023. They said existing migration analyses largely rely on data published at five-year intervals by the United Nations and at 10-year intervals by the World Bank, which
often fail to capture rapid changes caused by wars, economic downturns, pandemics or climate-related events.
Also read: 24 Indians rescued after tanker hit off Oman coast
"Our annual data provides a clearer picture, revealing that this migration rate has actually risen since 2000," said co-author Guy Abel.
"This upward trend appears to be driven by long-term demographic shifts and economic development rather than sudden, isolated crises," he added.
The researchers used deep learning techniques to combine official statistics, census records and other data sources with geographic and economic indicators to build the migration map.
The study found that global migration has generally increased since 2000, interrupted only by declines during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also showed that Europe consistently recorded the highest level of intra-regional migration, except during the early 1990s when Sub-Saharan Africa briefly surpassed it amid the Rwandan civil war.
Researchers said the dataset could help governments better understand migration trends, improve policy responses and plan public services, particularly in the Global South where migration data has traditionally been limited.
Follow us
