Migration to developed countries fell for a second year in a row in 2025, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, even as the numbers stayed high by historical standards.
The OECD's 38 member countries took in 6.1 million new permanent immigrants last year, down 1.6 percent from 6.2 million in 2024, the organization said in its International Migration Outlook 2026, released Thursday. The total remains about 12 percent above the 2019 level.
Some of the steepest falls came in traditionally open destinations. Permanent inflows dropped 32 percent in Britain to 295,800, 19 percent in Canada to 393,800 and 14 percent in the United States. The United States still received more than 1.2 million permanent migrants, more than any other member country.
A few countries moved the other way. Portugal's inflows jumped 139 percent to 313,600 after it approved a backlog of pending residency permits, Spain's rose 25 percent to 460,500 after it broadened its residency policies, and Italy's climbed 45 percent to 248,800, driven mostly by family and labor migrants. Excluding those three countries, permanent inflows across the OECD were about 8 percent lower than in 2024.
The mix of migrants also shifted. Legal humanitarian migration fell sharply, by 26 percent, while labor migration rose 13 percent. Asylum applications to OECD countries other than the United States dropped 22 percent to 1.1 million, which is still about 10 percent above the 2019 level. The report noted a backlash in many Western countries against the arrival of irregular migrants fleeing conflict, authoritarian rule and economic hardship.
Jean-Christophe Dumont, who heads the OECD's international migration division, said many governments are widening selective routes for skilled workers while making it harder for migrants to settle.
India remained the top country of origin for migrants to OECD countries in 2024, the latest year with full data, followed by China and Colombia. Women made up about 46 percent of new immigrants that year, so men continue to account for the majority of flows.
The OECD stressed the economic role of migrants. Immigrants now account for 16 percent of employment across the organization's members, three percentage points more than a decade ago, and labor force participation rates stayed at historic highs in 2025. In 24 of the 34 countries with data, the immigrant participation rate averaged 1.5 percentage points higher than that of native-born workers.
Mark Pearson, the OECD's acting director for employment, labor and social affairs, pointed to an aging population, noting that the working-age population across the OECD is set to shrink 8 percent by 2060. Reviving productivity growth is key to maintaining living standards, he said, and the question is not whether migration is good or bad for productivity but how policies can maximize its potential.
