The Global Migration Data Portal as part of the Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) is one of the founding pillars of IOM'S GLOBAL DATA INSTITUTE (GDI), alongside the DISPLACEMENT TRACKING MATRIX (DTM). In accordance with the IOM's Migration Data Strategy, the GDI strives to improve the accessibility and use of data to strengthen governance results and have a beneficial impact on migrants and society.
The Portal aims to serve as a unique access point to timely, comprehensive migration statistics and reliable information about migration data globally. The site is designed to help policy makers, national statistics officers, journalists and the general public interested in the field of migration to navigate the increasingly complex landscape of international migration data, currently scattered across different organisations and agencies.
Especially in critical times, such as those faced today, it is essential to ensure that responses to migration are based on sound facts and accurate analysis. By making the evidence about migration issues accessible and easy to understand, the Portal aims to contribute to a more informed public debate.
The Portal was launched in December 2017 and is managed and developed by IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), with the guidance of its Advisory Board, and was supported in its conception by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Over the years, the Portal has received financial support from IOM Member States, including the Governments of Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as from the European Union and unearmarked funding granted to IOM and internally allocated through the Migration Allocation Resource Committee (MiRAC).
Background
The Portal was formally announced on 12 July 2016 at the 2nd Berlin Roundtable on Refugees and Migration, where the former German Foreign Minister met with heads of international organizations working on migration, including IOM, UNHCR, the IFRC, the EC and the World Bank. Read more
Explore the Migration Data Portal
The six main sections of the Portal are designed to help you quickly and easily find the data and information you need.
- DATA – Our interactive dashboard visualizes international, publicly-available and internationally comparable migration data. In our national data section, you can explore official national migration data for four pilot countries -- Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand and Germany -- as well as estimates on national and subnational migration from WorldPop.
- THEMES – Thematic overviews explain how various aspects of migration are measured, what are the data sources, their strengths and weaknesses and provide context and analysis of key migration data.
- REGIONS - Regional overviews explain regional aspects and trends, data sources, their strengths and weaknesses.
- SPOTLIGHTS - Spotlight sections serve as an entry point to understand the complex relationship between available migration and displacement data on specific contexts, such as food security and human mobility.
- RESOURCES – Migration data tools are regularly added to help you find the right tools, guidelines and manuals on how to collect, interpret and disseminate migration data.
- GLOBAL PROCESSES - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) – Migration Data, the SDGs and the new Global Compact on Migration (GCM) – Reviews the migration-related targets in the SDGs, how they are defined and measured, and provides information on the new GCM and the migration data needs to support its implementation.
- MIGRATION GOVERNANCE - Find key migration statistics by country and region and profiles of countries' migration governance structures according to the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI).
- BLOGS & VIDEOS– Our blog and the Talking Migration Data video series provide a place for the migration data community to share their opinion on new developments and policy, new data or methods.
Feedback
The Portal is the first iteration of an ongoing process to develop a “one-stop-shop” for international data. As such, we welcome your comments to inform our process of continual improvement. Future iterations are planned for regional and national migration data.
Sign up to our newsletter to be informed when new features and tools are added. Contact us via migrationdataportal@iom.int.