Immigration can boost economies, but security concerns and social tensions can also be a consequence, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF made these comments on Tuesday, during heated times over high immigration levels in Europe and the US.
The IMF said that an increase of one percent in the number of adult immigrants could result in a two percent long-term increase in gross domestic product per capita, in host countries. This implies that long-standing citizens benefit from immigration because of the rise in labor productivity and income levels. In 2015, the number of international immigrants worldwide reached 244 million, according to United Nations figures. The figures include almost 20 million refugees.
According to the United Nations, a minimum of ten percent of the populations of Europe and North America are immigrants. Two-thirds of all worldwide immigrants were living in just 20 countries last year, with 19 percent hosted by the US. Countries such as Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and the United Kingdom followed this pattern.
The IMF says that immigrants can be helped to get, and to keep, jobs in their new countries with education and enterprise support. It admits that the loss of educated and young people can have an adverse effect on their home countries. High levels of immigration have also resulted in tension around the world, with Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump having won much popular support with an anti-immigration stance.