Migration data in Western Asia

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Mobility in Western Asia1 has deep historical roots, and it has also witnessed a lot of voluntary and forced migratory movements in the past century. The economic and political diversity in the sub-region have led to it being home to some of the largest migrant populations as well as the largest and most protracted displacement situations globally. The surge in employment opportunities in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)2 countries following the oil booms attracted millions of labour migrants from within and outside Western Asia. As a share of the total population, the GCC countries continue to host the highest shares of migrants in the world. In addition to millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) hosted in Western Asia, the subregion also hosts high numbers of refugees. The country hosting the highest number of refugees (Turkey) as well as the country of origin of the highest number of refugees (Syrian Arab Republic) are both in the sub-region.