Migration routes explained
Not all big migrant routes look the same
Start with three examples, then zoom out to compare route size, gender balance, and growth over time.
- Compare three key example routes to see how gender balance varies.
- See the big picture in the main chart: route size and gender balance.
- Track change over time—which routes grew the most from 1990 to 2024?
- Dive into one country and explore its migration story.
Step 1
Compare three large routes first
India → UAE is mostly men. Philippines → United States has more women than men. Mexico → United States is nearly balanced. That split is not random: Gulf-bound routes tend to be more male because labor migration in the Arab States is overwhelmingly male, while some United States-bound routes are more mixed because family migration is a major channel and women are heavily represented in domestic and care work.
Select a route to highlight it in the main chart.
Step 2
See the full pattern across major routes
Zoom out for the full picture: Every dot is a migration route. Left means more men, right means more women, and higher means a larger route. The result? A wide range of patterns—not one “typical” route.
Interactive scatterplot of women share versus migration route size.
Tab to the keyboard-focusable route dots for details. Press Enter or Space to pin or unpin a route. Use the filters or search to make additional routes focusable.
Color key
Male-heavy (women share under 40%)
Balanced (women share 40%–60%)
Female-heavy (women share over 60%)
Select a route to inspect its details here. On desktop, you can also hover or focus a route. Pin a route to keep those details visible.
Each dot represents one country-to-country route with a 2024 migrant stock of at least 250,000 people. The x-axis shows the share of women, and the y-axis shows route size on a logarithmic scale.
Key takeaways
- Most major routes cluster closer to even than to the extremes. In this major-route subset, about 78% of routes fall in the 40%–60% women range.
- Where people are going matters a lot for gender balance. Gulf-bound major routes are mostly male-heavy, while major routes to the US and Canada are overwhelmingly near parity or female-leaning.
- A route can be large today without still getting larger. Some major routes have grown sharply since 1990, but about 1 in 7 major routes in this view are smaller than they were in 1990 even while remaining large in 2024.
- Growth is concentrated in a relatively small set of routes. The top 25 absolute-growth routes account for ~47% of total absolute growth in this major-route subset.
- Recent shocks can create very large corridors quickly. Ukraine-linked routes to Germany and Poland grew strongly, while major Russia–Ukraine corridors shrank. Routes such as Syria → Turkey (+3.56M) and Venezuela → Colombia (+2.86M) show how fast major corridors can expand.
Annotated routes table
| Route | Stock 2024 | Women % | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico → United States | 11.3M | 49% | +6.8M |
| India → UAE | 3.2M | 30% | +2.8M |
| Philippines → United States | 2.3M | 61% | +1.3M |
| Syria → Turkey | 3.6M | 48% | +3.6M |
| Venezuela → Colombia | 2.9M | 51% | +2.9M |
| Bangladesh → Saudi Arabia | 2.4M | 8% | +2.1M |
| Ukraine → Germany | 1.4M | 66% | +1.3M |
| China → Hong Kong | 2.5M | 59% | +831k |
Step 3
Compare how the top routes changed between 1990 and 2024
Toggle between the 12 biggest routes in 2024 and the 12 that grew the most since 1990. The contrast helps separate long-established corridors from routes that expanded more recently.
Interactive chart of migrant route stocks in 1990 and 2024.
Tab to each route. Hover or focus to preview details. Press Enter or Space to pin or unpin. Route details appear to the right of the chart on larger screens and below it on smaller screens.
Hover, focus, or select a route to inspect its details here.
Alternative views
Route values table (1990 and 2024 endpoints)
| Route | 1990 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico → United States | 4.5M | 11.3M |
| Afghanistan → Iran | 4.0M | 3.8M |
| Syria → Türkiye | 5k | 3.6M |
| Russia → Ukraine | 5.0M | 3.4M |
| India → United Arab Emirates | 457k | 3.2M |
| India → United States | 445k | 3.2M |
| Venezuela → Colombia | 43k | 2.9M |
| Ukraine → Russia | 3.3M | 2.9M |
| China → Hong Kong | 1.7M | 2.5M |
| China → United States | 527k | 2.5M |
| Palestine → Jordan | 930k | 2.4M |
| Bangladesh → Saudi Arabia | 245k | 2.4M |
Step 4
Pick a country and explore its routes
See how its routes rank and share the view with a link.
Largest routes for United States
- Mexico → United States 11.3M
- India → United States 3.2M
- China → United States 2.5M
- Philippines → United States 2.3M
- Puerto Rico → United States 1.9M
- El Salvador → United States 1.6M
- Dominican Republic → United States 1.5M
- Vietnam → United States 1.4M
- Cuba → United States 1.4M
- Guatemala → United States 1.3M
- Germany → United States 1.1M
- South Korea → United States 1.1M
Ranked routes for United States. Destination routes. Sorted by size. Each bar shows 2024 route size relative to the largest route in this view and splits that size between men and women.
Alternative view
Explorer routes table
| Route | Stock 2024 | Women % | Change since 1990 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico → United States | 11.3M | 49% | +6.8M |
| India → United States | 3.2M | 48% | +2.7M |
| China → United States | 2.5M | 57% | +2.0M |
| Philippines → United States | 2.3M | 61% | +1.3M |
| Puerto Rico → United States | 1.9M | 51% | +1.0M |
| El Salvador → United States | 1.6M | 48% | +1.1M |
| Dominican Republic → United States | 1.5M | 55% | +1.1M |
| Vietnam → United States | 1.4M | 55% | +895k |
| Cuba → United States | 1.4M | 50% | +650k |
| Guatemala → United States | 1.3M | 42% | +1.1M |
| Germany → United States | 1.1M | 55% | -328k |
| South Korea → United States | 1.1M | 58% | +225k |
Recap
Big routes can look very different
A route’s size does not tell the whole story. Some are mostly men, some are close to balanced, and some have more women than men. Looking at growth as well helps show which corridors are long-established and which expanded more recently.