The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface
between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The
Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide
range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which States Members of the
United Nations draw to review common problems and take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates
the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to
address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the
ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and
summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national
capacities.
The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs provides the international
community with timely and accessible population data and analysis of population trends and
development outcomes for all countries and areas of the world. To this end, the Division undertakes
regular studies of population size and characteristics and of all three components of population
change (fertility, mortality and migration). Founded in 1946, the Population Division provides
substantive support on population and development issues to the United Nations General Assembly,
the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Population and Development. It also leads
or participates in various interagency coordination mechanisms of the United Nations system. The
work of the Division also contributes to strengthening the capacity of Member States to monitor
population trends and to address current and emerging population issues.
This report was prepared by Clare Menozzi, under the supervision of Bela Hovy.

Notes

The designations employed in this report and the material presented in it do not imply the expression of any opinions whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This report is available in electronic format on the Division’s website at www.unpopulation.org. For further information about this report, please contact the Office of the Director, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, 10017, USA, by fax: 1 212 963 2147 or by e-mail at population@un.org.

Suggested citation:

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2016). International Migration Report 2015: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/375).

Official symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with numbers, as illustrated in the above citation.

Cover photo: “Workers gathering on construction site in Qatar” by Alexey Sergeev
Used under CC BY 2.0, cropped from original.