a new analysis of the Pew Research Center has revealed that almost half of the estimated 280 million people living outside their country of birth are Christians, and that a considerable portion of them are immigrants to the United States from Mexico and the Philippines.
According to the study published on August 19it is estimated that in 2020 – the latest year for which figures are available – Christians made up 47% of all people living outside their country of birth, while Muslims will represent 29%, followed by those not affiliated with no religion (13%), Hindus (5%), Buddhists (4%) and Jews (1%).
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Over the past three decades, the total number of people living as international migrants has increased by 83%, outpacing global population growth of 47%, according to Pew.
Although the number of Christian migrants has also increased by 80% over the past three decades, the overall religious composition of migrants around the world has remained relatively stable since 1990, according to the study.
A large percentage of the world’s Christian migrants—27%, or 35.4 million—live in the United States. Followed by Germany and Russia, as the two most common destinations.
Christians make up a larger percentage of migrants than they represent in the total world population (30%), and Mexico is by far the most common country of origin for Christian migrants, with 9% of the world’s Christian migrants. . According to the study, the United States is its most common destination.
Other common routes for Christian migrants are to go from Russia to Ukraine and vice versa, from the Philippines to the United States, from Russia to Kazakhstan and from Poland to Germany.
According to the study, in Spain, the Christian immigrant population went from less than 500,000 to almost 4.2 million in this period of time, which represents an increase of 865%.
Most of this growth came from Latin America and the Caribbean, as financial crises in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela caused recessions and caused millions of people to look for work elsewhere. Many Christian emigrants from Romania also sought refuge in Spain during this time.
In some countries that historically had lost many of their Christians to emigration since 1990, such as Russia and Mozambique, their numbers have rebounded as greater political stability since 1990 has led to return emigration.
Syria is the most common country of origin for Muslim migrants, and they tend to move to places in the Middle East and North Africa region, such as Saudi Arabia.
China is the most common country of origin for religiously unaffiliated immigrants, and the United States is their most common destination.
Hindus are greatly underrepresented among migrants, with the majority coming from and remaining in India.
Despite constituting a smaller percentage of total emigrants, Jews are, by far, the most likely to emigrate. One in five Jews resides outside their country of birth, compared to smaller percentages of Christians (6%), Muslims (4%), Hindus (1%), Buddhists (4%) and people with no religious affiliation (2%). .
The analysis indicates that emigrants usually go to countries where their religious identity is already predominant. Many Muslims have moved to Saudi Arabia, while Jews have gravitated toward Israel. Christians and religiously unaffiliated immigrants have the same three main destination countries: the United States, Germany and Russia.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Jonah McKeown
Jonah McKeown is a writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, radio producer and videographer.