Africans need jobs. The rest of the world needs workers
Migration from Africa is a mega-trend that transcends today’s populist surge
Africa is on the move. At least 20m emigrants live outside the continent, a three-fold increase since 1990. That is higher than the number of Indian migrants outside India or Chinese migrants outside China—two big diasporas from countries with populations of similar size to the African continent. Europe accounts for about half of African migrants outside Africa, but its share has steadily declined since 1990. America, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have all seen surges in their African-born populations.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The great African migration”
From the April 26th 2025 edition
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