Migration to developed countries declined for the second consecutive year in 2025, with the number of new permanent immigrants falling by 1.6 percent compared with the previous year, according to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report published on Thursday.
The 38 OECD member countries recorded 6.1 million new permanent immigrants during the year, down from 6.2 million in 2024, although the overall figure remained high.
The report found that legal humanitarian migration fell sharply by 26 percent in 2025, while labour migration increased by 13 percent.
Despite the latest decline, the number of permanent immigrants settling in OECD countries remained 12 percent higher than in 2019.
Portugal, Spain and Italy recorded increases in permanent immigration during the year. Portugal saw the largest rise, with arrivals increasing by 139 percent to 313,600, largely due to the clearance of a backlog of pending residency permits.
Spain recorded a 25 percent increase to 460,500 permanent immigrants after expanding its residency policies. Italy also saw a 45 percent rise to 248,800, mainly driven by family and labour migration.
Several other countries recorded declines. The United States (US) saw permanent immigration fall by 14 percent but remained the leading OECD destination, receiving more than 1.2 million immigrants in 2025.
Canada recorded a 19 percent decrease to 393,800, while the United Kingdom (UK) saw a 32 percent decline to 295,800.
The number of asylum applications across OECD countries, excluding US, fell by 22 percent to 1.1 million in 2025 compared with the previous year. However, the figure remained around 10 percent higher than in 2019.
India remained the leading country of origin for migrants moving to OECD countries in 2024, followed by China and Colombia, according to the latest available data.
Men continued to make up the majority of new immigrants. Women accounted for around 46 percent of new arrivals in 2024.
The US and Ireland recorded the highest shares of female immigrants at 54 percent, followed by Sweden at 53 percent. Israel, Chile, Australia and New Zealand each recorded a 52 percent share.
The OECD noted that migration could help improve long-term productivity, particularly as many countries face ageing populations.
“With the OECD working-age population set to decrease by eight percent by 2060, pushing overall growth downwards, reviving productivity growth is key to maintaining living standards,” said Mark Pearson, the OECD’s acting director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs.
