Migration to OECD countries falls for second year

Migration to OECD countries fell for a second year in 2025, with 6.1 million new permanent immigrants recorded across the 38-member group, the OECD said in a report published Thursday.

The figure was down 1.6 percent from 6.2 million in 2024, but remained 12 percent higher than in 2019.

The OECD said legal humanitarian migration fell by 26 percent in 2025, while labour migration rose by 13 percent.

Portugal recorded a 139 percent increase in permanent migrants to 313,600, which the OECD linked to approvals of a backlog of residency permits. Spain recorded a 25 percent rise to 460,500 after broadening residency policies, while Italy recorded a 45 percent increase to 248,800, largely linked to family and labour migration.

The United States remained the leading OECD destination, with more than 1.2 million permanent migrants, despite a 14 percent fall. Canada recorded a 19 percent decrease to 393,800, and the United Kingdom recorded a 32 percent decline to 295,800.

The OECD said 1.1 million asylum applications were filed in 2025 in OECD countries excluding the United States, down 22 percent from the previous year but about 10 percent above 2019 levels.

India remained the leading country of origin for migration flows to the OECD in 2024, the latest year available, ahead of China and Colombia.

Mark Pearson, the OECD's acting director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, said migration could help productivity as populations age. He said immigrants now account for 16 percent of employment across the OECD, three percentage points more than a decade ago.