Some Ghanaian migrants
Many sub-Saharan Africans plan to migrate to another country in the next five years, a new report by the Pew Research Center has disclosed.
Among the six countries polled, plans to migrate ranges from roughly four-in-ten or more in Senegal (44%), Ghana (42%) and Nigeria (38%) to fewer than one-in-ten in Tanzania (8%).
The survey asked respondents whether they would go to live in another country if they had the means and opportunity.
At least four-in-ten in each sub-Saharan country surveyed answered in the affirmative, including roughly three-quarters of those surveyed in Ghana (75%) and Nigeria (74%).
Among the 42% of Ghanaians who say they plan to migrate abroad in the next five years, four-in-ten (41%) identify the U.S. as their intended destination, while three-in-ten (30%) name a country in the E.U., Norway or Switzerland.
Similarly, shares of potential migrants in South Africa (39% vs. 22%) and Kenya (39% vs. 12%) say they intend to migrate to the U.S. over Europe.
Only in Senegal, a Francophone country, do more respondents that plan to move intend to migrate to a European country (49%), as opposed to the United States (24%).
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.
In 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 analysis of data from Eurostat, Europe’s statistical agency.
In the U.S., more than 400,000 sub-Saharan lawful permanent resident and refugee arrivals moved to the U.S between 2010 and 2016.
However, a Pew Research Center survey conducted between February and April 2017 in six sub-Saharan countries which have supplied many of the region’s migrants to the U.S. and Europe, finds substantial numbers who say they would move to another country if the means and opportunity presented themselves.
“Migration data show an increasing number of sub-Saharan Africans are moving to the U.S. and Europe this decade,” Senior Researcher Phillip Connor said.
“Our surveys also find many sub-Saharan Africans are making plans to move out of Africa, with the U.S. and Europe being their top choices as destinations.”
By Samuel Boadi