Topic: Immigration/Migration

Germany: Beyond the Demographic Transition's End
This Population Bulletin looks at the four phases of the demographic transition as descriptive of past and future population growth. We highlight four countries to illustrate each phase and its implications for human well-being: Uganda (high birth rate, fluctuating death rate); Guatemala (declining birth and death rates); India (approaching replacement-level fertility); and Germany (low or very low birth and death rates). Germany's recovery from the devastation of World War II is often called an "economic miracle" because its economy is now Europe's largest. Immigration has been an important part of the country's modern demographic history. (July 2011)

PRB Discuss Online: Remittances, and the Recession's Effects on International Migration
The 2008-2009 recession slowed migrant entries into developed countries but did not lead to large-scale returns. International migration is increasing, making the management of migration an ever greater concern. Martin's latest PRB web article, "Remittances, and the Recession's Effects on International Migration," is an update of his 2008 Population Bulletin, "Managing Migration: The Global Challenge." In a PRB Discuss Online, Philip Martin, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis, answered questions from participants about remittances; and the recession's effects on international migration. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (May 2011)

Remittances and the Recession's Effects on International Migration
About 3 percent of the world's people are international migrants, living outside their country of birth for a year or more. Two-thirds of these migrants leave developing countries for developed or other developing countries, and the remittances they send home—around $325 billion in 2010—are larger than total official development aid. The 2008-2009 recession slowed migrant entries into developed countries. (May 2011)

China Releases First 2010 Census Results
China, the world's only other "demographic billionaire," along with India, released the results of its Nov. 1, 2010 Census on April 28. The 2010 Census paints a picture of a country whose low birth rate of about 1.5 children per woman has resulted in profound changes to its pattern of aging, a process that will accelerate in the coming years. It also shows a population whose educational levels are rising and one that is moving from the rural farmland to urban centers where employment opportunities increase with each passing year. (May 2011)

PRB Discuss Online: Population and National Security

More U.S. Scientists and Engineers Are Foreign-Born
Scientists and engineers working in the United States are increasingly likely to be foreign-born, primarily because the United States continues to attract large numbers of skilled workers from abroad. In an article in the journal Demography, Vanderbilt University professor Mariano Sana reported that the ratio of foreign-born to U.S.-born scientists and engineers doubled in little more than a decade. In 1994, there were 6.2 U.S.-born workers for every foreign-born worker in science and engineering occupations. By 2006, the ratio was 3.1 to 1. (January 2011)

PRB Discuss Online: Latinos in the United States in 2010
The Latino population has experienced rapid growth beyond other racial groups in the United States. What are the dynamics behind this upward trend? What are the demographic and socioeconomic attributes of the varying groups within the Latino population? PRB's Population Bulletin Update, "Latinos in the United States 2010," is a follow-up to 1997's Population Bulletin, "Generations of Diversity: Latinos in the United States," and provides new data and analysis on the U.S. Latino population and its diversity, socioeconomic status, and issues of identity. In a PRB Discuss Online, Rogelio Saenz, professor of sociology at Texas A&M University and author of the Population Bulletin Update, answered questions from participants about Latinos in the United States. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (January 2011)

Shifting Latino Ethnic and Racial Identity
Throughout history, the U.S. Census Bureau has used variations in its attempt to classify and enumerate Latinos. Since Hispanics or Latinos are considered an ethnic, not a racial group, they are asked on census questionnaires to select a racial category. In the 2000 census, almost half of Latinos classified themselves racially as "white" while more than two-fifths identified themselves racially as "other." The Census Bureau has attempted to provide greater clarification in the annual American Community Surveys and in the 2010 decennial census in its attempt to move people away from the "other" racial designation. (December 2010)

Foreign Students Still Coming to U.S. Universities
The latest statistics confirm that U.S. universities still attract throngs of foreign students, despite the struggling economy here and in students' home countries. In fact, international students inject an estimated $20 billion into the U.S. economy each year, though mostly in tuition and living expenses. They are actively recruited by U.S. colleges and universities as a way to get diverse student bodies including the world's best and brightest students. (December 2010)

Distilled Demographics: Migration
Migration is a minefield for demographers; varying definitions and measurements can be difficult to sort out. Migration is the geographic movement of people across ­boundaries to establish a new ­permanent or semipermanent residence. Along with fertility and mortality, migration is a component of population change. How is an "immigrant" defined? Why do people migrate? How is the world becoming a "melting pot"? In this installment of the Distilled Demographics video series, PRB senior demographer Carl Haub answers these questions and clarifies how migration affects population. (November 2010)