Reconfiguration of the Afro-European Migration System: Perspective Elements

Andreu Domingo , Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Nachatter Singh, Center for Demographic Studies
Joan Garcia, CED

Long before the acceleration of migration flows with globalization in the 21st century, African immigration to Europe has taken a central place in the social and political debate in many European countries. At present, this centrality has more to do with future projections of expected flows from Africa, than with the actual number of people migrating from Africa to Europe. In fact, Africa has so far been the main destination for the flows generated in the continent, concentrating half of the total African population residing out of their country of birth. In most European countries, the influx of Africans has been surpassed by other immigrant groups, but African immigrants has remained the main concern in many EU countries. Using data of the UN Global Migration Database “Migration Stock”, population forecasts made by the United Nations, data from the Labour Force Survey compiled by Eurostat for different countries of the European Union and IPUMS census data for the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, this paper: 1) explores the dimensions and characteristics of the African diaspora and explores the place of the European Union in it; 2) Analyse the recent dynamics (demographic and socioeconomic) that shapes the Afro-European migration system; and, 3) Carry out a prospective exercise based on the characteristics of African migrants residing in different European countries and population projections.

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 Presented in Session P3. Poster Session Migration, Economics, Environment, Methods, History and Policy