International
migration from countries in sub-Saharan Africa has grown dramatically over the
past decade, including to Europe and the United States. Indeed, most years
since 2010 have witnessed a rising inflow of sub-Saharan asylum applicants in
Europe, and lawful permanent residents and refugees in the U.S.
The
factors pushing people to leave sub-Saharan Africa – and the paths they take to
arrive at their destinations – vary from country to country and individual to
individual. In the case of Europe, the population of sub-Saharan migrants has
been boosted by the influx of nearly 1 million asylum applicants (970,000)
between 2010 and 2017, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from
Eurostat, Europe’s statistical agency. Sub-Saharan Africans also moved to
European Union countries, Norway and Switzerland as international students and
resettled refugees, through family reunification and by other means.3
In
the U.S., those fleeing conflict also make up a portion of the more than
400,000 sub-Saharan migrants who moved to the States between 2010 and 2016.
According to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. State
Department, 110,000 individuals from sub-Saharan countries were resettled as
refugees over this seven-year period. An additional 190,000 were granted lawful
permanent residence by virtue of family ties; nearly 110,000 more entered the
U.S. through the diversity visa program.4
Will
the inflow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and the U.S. continue
at the same pace in the years ahead? It is difficult to say. However, the idea
of migrating is on the minds of many Africans living south of the Sahara.
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey in six sub-Saharan countries
that have supplied many of the region’s migrants to the U.S. and Europe, many
say they would move to another country if the means and opportunity presented
themselves. And in Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria, more than a third say they
actually plan to migrate in the next five years. Of those who plan to move,
more individuals plan to move to the U.S. than to Europe in most countries
surveyed.
A
Guest Editorial
