News
Types of migration: Return migration
There are two main forms of return migration: voluntary return and forced return. Data on forced return are usually collected by national and international statistical offices, border protection and immigration law enforcement agencies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) collects data on assisted voluntary return and reintegration programmes that it implements worldwide.
IOM Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration: 2018 at a Glance
Definition
There is no universally accepted definition of return migration.
Return is “in a general sense, the act or process of going back or being taken back to the point of departure. This could be within the territorial boundaries of a country, as in the case of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) and demobilized combatants; or between a country of destination or transit and a country of origin, as in the case of migrant workers, refugees or asylum seekers” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
Two main types of return migration are defined as follows:
1. Voluntary return – is “the assisted or independent return to the country of origin, transit or another country based on the voluntary decision of the returnee” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
Voluntary returns can be either spontaneous or assisted:
- Spontaneous return is “the voluntary, independent return of a migrant or a group of migrants to their country of origin, usually without the support of States or other international or national assistance” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
- Assisted voluntary return and reintegration is the “administrative, logistical or financial support, including reintegration assistance, to migrants unable or unwilling to remain in the host country or country of transit and who decide to return to their country of origin” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
- Voluntary humanitarian return is the application of assisted voluntary return and reintegration principles in humanitarian settings and “often represents a life-saving measure for migrants who are stranded or in detention” (IOM, 2020).
When return programmes involve additional reintegration support for returnees, these programmes are referred to as assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR). IOM defines AVRR as “Administrative, logistical or financial support, including reintegration assistance, to migrants unable or unwilling to remain in the host country or country of transit and who decide to return to their country of origin.” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
2. Forced return – “a migratory movement which, although the drivers can be diverse, involves force, compulsion, or coercion.” (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019).
Recent trends
See our new thematic page on COVID-19 and migration data for data on return migration due to COVID-19.
Global
While millions of migrants return to their country of origin every year, not all returns are necessarily recorded. The top five countries that experienced the largest outflows in 2018 were Germany (923,580), Republic of Korea (365,117), Turkey (323,918), Japan (292,059) and the Netherlands (102,802), according to figures produced by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) on outflows of foreign populations from selected OECD countries (OECD, 2020). Note: Each country has a different methodology for measuring outflows.
In terms of voluntary returns, the number of migrants returning voluntarily through IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme in 2019 was 64,958, representing a 2.6 per cent increase from 2018 (63,316 migrants). The increase was mainly due to a growing trend in returns from transit countries like the Niger and Djibouti as opposed to returns from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) region. Additionally, 15,248 migrants from Libya and Yemen were able to return through IOM’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme in 2019 (IOM, 2020).
The top 10 host/transit countries for AVRR in 2019 were: the Niger, Germany, Djibouti Greece, the Netherlands, Austria, Turkey, Mexico, Belgium and Mali (ibid.). This is the first time that Germany was not the main host country, being overtaken by the Niger. With a 10 per cent increase from 2018, the Niger assisted 16,414 AVRR beneficiaries, whereas Germany, with an 18 per cent decrease from 2018, assisted 13,053 beneficiaries (ibid.). Despite the decline from 2018 to 2019, beneficiaries from Germany accounted for 20 per cent of the total AVRR caseload, while beneficiaries from the Niger represented 25 per cent (ibid.).
Europe
Frontex, the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency, reports that 298,190 irregular migrants were given a “return decision” by EU Member States in 2019. Of this figure, 138,860 people were effectively returned (either forcibly or voluntarily) (Frontex, 2020).
In 2019, 19,000 people left the United Kingdom (UK) via enforced or voluntary return, the lowest annual level since 2014 (Walsh, 2020). There were 7,400 enforced returns in 2018, 22% fewer than in the previous year – and the lowest annual level since 2004 – due to changes in the immigration systems, such as a reduced use of detention (ibid.). Voluntary returns still account for the biggest share of all returns (ibid.). COVID-19 has significantly impacted returns and all categories of return declined in the first quarter of 2019 (ibid.).
A total of 28,256 migrants were assisted to return from the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2019, which accounted for 43.5 per cent of the total caseload. Despite a 17 per cent decrease as compared to 2018, the EEA remains the top host region (IOM, 2020). Most of the beneficiaries were assisted to return from Germany (13,053, or 46 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries assisted from the EEA). Greece (3,804) remains the second main host country, despite a 22 per cent decrease in the number of migrants assisted compared to 2018. Austria (2,840) and Belgium (2,183) have lost their respective third and fourth positions, being overtaken by the Netherlands (3,035), which experienced a 41 per cent increase in the total caseload of migrants assisted (ibid.).
Central America, North America and the Caribbean
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported 267,258 removals in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, a four per cent increase compared to FY 2018 (ICE, 2020).
Return migration increased 42% between 2013 and 2014, reaching a level of 51 259 Salvadorians, mostly from the United States and Mexico, returning mainly because of increasingly strict deportation rules. During 2015, the levels stabilized, with an increase of barely 2 per cent (SICREMI, 2017).
In 2019 there were 2,394 cases of AVRR from Central and North America and the Caribbean, which was more than triple compared to 2018. This was mostly due to an increase in the number of intraregional returns, specifically 2,244 cases from Mexico, 57 cases from Guatemala and 24 cases from the Dominican Republic; these migrants were assisted to return to Honduras (1,870), the United States (189) and El Salvador (158) (IOM, 2020).
South America
In total, 47 migrants returned from South America, 815 migrants were assisted to return to Brazil, 240 migrants to Colombia and 63 migrants to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ibid.). Such a low number of migrants returning from the region is explained by the fact that governments in the region placed regularization options through the application of general or specific migration instruments for regional and extraregional nationals, such as the Residence Agreement for Nationals of the States Parties of the Associated States of the Common Market (Mercado Común del Sur – MERCOSUR) (IOM, 2019). The region is also marked by significant intraregional migration flows, which account for about 70 per cent of the immigration in the region. In 2018 and 2019, South America saw a significant increase of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, prompting countries to liberalize intraregional migration in order to better support them (IOM, 2020).
Asia and the Pacific
In 2019, a total of 1,230 migrants were assisted to return from Asia and the Pacific region – a 29 per cent decrease when compared to the figures from 2018 (ibid.). As in 2018, the majority of return flows from the region in 2019 were intraregional, mostly from Australia, Indonesia and Vanuatu to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran (ibid.). Australia (689) and Indonesia (266), comprised 56 per cent and 22 per cent of returns from the region, respectively (ibid.).
The Middle East and Africa
West and Central Africa
In 2019, 18,975 returns from the West and Central Africa (WCA) region accounted for 29 per cent of the global AVRR caseload (ibid.). The Niger alone responded for 87 per cent (or 16,414) of all migrants assisted to return from the region. The majority of international migrants in WCA were intraregional, but unlike in the previous year, movement patterns between WCA and North African countries varied considerably in 2019. There has been, for instance, a steep increase in the number of third-country nationals being forcibly returned from Algeria to neighbouring countries such as Mali and the Niger (ibid.).
East and Horn of Africa
In East and Horn of Africa, a total of 5,826 migrants were assisted to return from the region in 2019, representing a 38 per cent increase from 2018 (ibid.). The majority of the beneficiaries assisted to return were assisted from Djibouti, representing 72 per cent of the total regional caseload, or 4,220 cases. The second biggest host country in the region was Somalia, accounting for 12 per cent of AVRRs from the region (ibid.).
Southern Africa
In 2019, a total of 911 migrants were assisted to return from Southern Africa, a 16 per cent increase compared to 2018 (ibid.). The majority of migrants returning from this region were assisted to return from South Africa (79%), Angola (7%) and Zambia (6%) (ibid.).
Data sources
Global
As the largest global provider of Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) and Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programmes, IOM collects voluntary return data on a regular basis. IOM data include the number of participants, host and origin country, as well as sex, age and migration status in the host country prior to return. Since 2010, IOM has published key data on the AVRR website (IOM, 2018, IOM, 2017; IOM, 2016; IOM, 2015). IOM data also include information on assisted migrants by specific vulnerability (unaccompanied migrant children, migrants with health-related needs and victims of trafficking).
Data on returned or “repatriated” refugees – i.e. refugees who have returned to their country of origin spontaneously or in an organized manner (sometimes with help of IOM’s AVRR programmes)– are collected respectively by IOM and UNHCR.
Data on the outflows of the foreign population from selected OECD countries are collected by OECD’S Continuous Reporting System on International Migration (SOPEMI) and published in the annual International Migration Outlook report.
Europe
Since 2014, Eurostat has provided the following data for 21 EU Member States on return migration of people who are third-country nationals:
- Third country nationals ordered to leave – annual data (rounded);
- Third country nationals returned following an order to leave – annual data (rounded);
- Third-country nationals who have left the territory by type of return and citizenship;
- Third-country nationals who have left the territory by type of assistance received and citizenship.
Data on forced and voluntary return from EU Member States and the three Schengen Associated Countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) are also published in the Frontex Risk Analysis Reports.
The Return Migration and Development Platform from the European University Institute promotes exchange and knowledge-sharing about return migrants’ realities and the contexts of their experiences.
United States
Data on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s “enforcement and removal operations” (ERO), including forced returns, are summarized in its annual reports.
Central and South America
Data on return migration from and to Central and South (and Northern) American countries are collected by OECD’s Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI) and published in the International Migration in the Americas reports.
Australia
The Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection publishes annual data on forced and voluntary return from Australia.
Afghanistan
The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, with the support of IOM, recently started the implementation of the Afghan Returnee Information System (ARIS), a digital registration process for both undocumented migrants and refugee returnees crossing to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran. IOM publishes these data here.
Some countries and/or organizations have collected data to monitor return migration and the outcomes of return programmes, for example:
- • Four EU Member States – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and Norway – have collected data on post-return, monitoring returnees to identify longer-term outcomes.
- • Switzerland: IOM is tracking outcomes for returnees from Switzerland to Nigeria whom it assisted in 2015, at roughly 9 months post-return.
- • In the UK in 2013, the charity Refugee Action compiled a small study of the post-return experiences of their beneficiaries.
A few research studies have assessed the sustainability of return and reintegration programmes. For example, Koser and Kuschminder (2015) developed a Return and Reintegration Index which was tested on 156 returnees in eight countries of origin. Strand et al. (2016) measured sustainable return based on the perception of returnees from Norway to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kosovo, and ICMPD (2015) conducted a study to evaluate the sustainability of AVR programmes from Austria to Kosovo.
Data strengths and limitations
Data on forced return and on voluntary return are scattered across different data sources and are often incomplete or only partially publicly available – For example, several countries that implement AVRR programmes (either under IOM or government auspices) are not reported on in the Eurostat database (e.g. Germany, The Netherlands, and the UK). In addition, voluntary departures are usually not tracked. In order to improve this, the EU is implementing the Integrated Return Management Application (IRMA), a secure web-platform for integrating all EU return activities.
There is a large data gap on post-return data mainly due to the lack of definitions and established indicators for measuring “reintegration”. However, in January 2016, the EMN released guidelines for the monitoring and evaluation of AVR(R) programmes that provide a list of questions and indicators to be included in post-return monitoring activities.
More recently in 2017, the DFID-funded MEASURE Project (Mediterranean Sustainable Reintegration), a pilot project that fosters the sustainability of reintegration support in the framework of Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration in the Mediterranean, led to the development of a set of 15 field-tested indicators and a scoring system to measurement of reintegration outcomes and improving understanding of returnees’ progress towards sustainability. These indicators are based on a revised definition of sustainable reintegration in the context of return, (IOM, 2017) and therefore relate to the three economic, social and psychosocial dimensions of reintegration. The scoring system allows comparison of trends in returnees’ reintegration across country contexts and over time.
Culled From Migration Data Portal (© International Organization for Migration (IOM) 200x.
Support Voice for African Migrants
Support VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best and latest migration, trafficking, displacement and humanitarian reports including thorough investigative reports in these areas, we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
News
Netherlands, IOM launch Global Migration Initiative to protect people on the move

COMPASS will provide vulnerable migrants including victims of trafficking and unaccompanied or separated children access to a broad range of protection and assistance services.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands launched the Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions initiative (COMPASS) at the beginning of 2021. COMPASS is a global initiative, in partnership with 12 countries, designed to protect people on the move, combat human trafficking and smuggling, and support dignified return while promoting sustainable reintegration.
The initiative is centred on a whole-of-society approach which, in addition to assisting individuals, will work across all levels – households, communities, and the wider communities – and encompasses the following partner countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
“We want to mobilize families, peers and communities to encourage informed and safe migration decisions, protect migrants, and help those returning home reintegrate successfully,” said Monica Goracci, Director of the Department of Migration Management at IOM.
“One key component is also undermining the trafficking and smuggling business models through the promotion of safe alternatives and information sharing to reduce the risks of exploitation and abuse by these criminal networks.” Vulnerable migrants, including victims of trafficking and unaccompanied or separated children, will have access to a broad range of protection and assistance services such as mental health and psychosocial support, while migrants in transit who wish to return home will be supported with dignified return and reintegration.
Community level interventions will focus on improving community-led efforts to address trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and support sustainable reintegration of returning migrants. COMPASS will work with national and local governments to enable a conducive environment for migrant protection, migration management and international cooperation on these issues.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to launch the COMPASS programme in cooperation with IOM, an important and longstanding partner on migration cooperation,” said Marriët Schuurman, Director for Stability and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
“The programme is a part of the Dutch comprehensive approach to migration with activities that contribute to protection and decreasing irregular migration. Research and data gathering are also important components, and we hope that the insights that will be gained under COMPASS will contribute to broader knowledge sharing on migration and better-informed migration policies.”, added Schuurman. The initiative has a strong learning component, designed to increase knowledge and the uptake of lessons learned, both within the programme and beyond its parameters. COMPASS will actively contribute to global knowledge that supports countries in managing migration flows and protecting vulnerable migrants such as victims of trafficking. The implementation of COMPASS is set to start soon.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, as the donor to the COMPASS initiative, pledges its active support to partner countries to improve migration cooperation mechanisms within its long-term vision.
IOM, the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration, contributes its expertise as the technical implementation partner to the initiative. IOM works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners in its dedication to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.
Support Voice for African Migrants
Support VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best and latest migration, trafficking, displacement and humanitarian reports including thorough investigative reports in these areas, we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
News
A child, 40 others drown in shipwreck off Tunisia

Photo: Mediterranean Sea
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are deeply saddened by reports of a shipwreck off the coast of Sidi Mansour, in southeast Tunisia, yesterday evening. The bodies of 41 people, including at least one child, have so far been retrieved.
According to reports from local UNHCR and IOM teams, three survivors were rescued by the Tunisian National Coast Guard. The search effort was still underway on Friday. Based on initial information, all those who perished were from Sub-Saharan Africa.
This tragic loss of life underscores once again the need to enhance and expand State-led search and rescue operations across the Central Mediterranean, where some 290 people have lost their lives so far this year. Solidarity across the region and support to national authorities in their efforts to prevent loss of life and prosecute smugglers and traffickers should be a priority.
Prior to yesterday’s incident, 39 refugees and migrants had perished off the coast near the Tunisian city of Sfax in early March. So far this year, sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have more than tripled compared to the same period in 2020.
UNHCR and IOM continue to monitor developments closely. They continue to stand ready to work with the national authorities to assist and support the survivors, and the family members of those lost.
Support Voice for African Migrants
Support VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best and latest migration, trafficking, displacement and humanitarian reports including thorough investigative reports in these areas, we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
News
Ethiopian migrants return home from Yemen with IOM support in wake of tragic boat sinking

Yemen: Stranded Ethiopian migrants prepare to board an IOM-facilitated flight from Aden, Yemen, to fly home to Addis Ababa. Photo: IOM/Majed Mohammed 2021
One hundred and sixty Ethiopian migrants have returned home safely from Yemen today with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), just one day after a perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden claimed the lives of dozens of people, including at least 16 children.
More than 32,000 migrants, predominantly from Ethiopia, remain stranded across Yemen in dire, often deadly, circumstances.
“The conditions of migrants stranded in Yemen has become so tragic that many feel they have no option but to rely on smugglers to return home,” said Jeffrey Labovitz, IOM’s Director for Operations and Emergencies.
At least 42 people returning from Yemen are believed to have died on Monday when their vessel sank off the coast of Djibouti. Last month, at least 20 people had also drowned on the same route according to survivors. IOM believes that, since May 2020, over 11,000 migrants have returned to the Horn of Africa on dangerous boat journeys, aided by unscrupulous smugglers.
“Our Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme provides a lifeline for those stranded in a country now experiencing its seventh year of conflict and crisis. We call on all governments along the route to come together and support our efforts to allow migrants safe and dignified opportunities to travel home,” added Labovitz.
COVID-19 has had a major impact on global migration. The route from the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries has been particularly affected. Tens of thousands of migrants, hoping to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), now find themselves unable to complete their journeys, stranded across Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen.
While the pandemic has also caused the number of migrants arriving to Yemen to decrease from 138,000 in 2019 to just over 37,500 in 2020, the risks they face continue to rise. Many of these migrants are stranded in precarious situations, sleeping rough without shelter or access to services. Many others are in detention or being held by smugglers.
“We cannot find jobs or food here; Yemen is a problem for us,” said Gamal, a 22-year-old migrant returning on the VHR flight. “I used to sleep in the street on cardboard. I could only eat because of the charity people would give me and sometimes we were given leftovers from restaurants. I never had much to eat.”
Since October 2020, in Aden alone, IOM has registered over 6,000 migrants who need support to safely return home. Today’s flight to Addis Ababa was the second transporting an initial group of 1,100 Ethiopians who have been approved for VHR to Ethiopia. Thousands of other undocumented migrants are waiting for their nationality to be verified and travel documents to be provided.
Prior to departure on the VHR flight, IOM carried out medical and protection screenings to ensure that returnees are fit to travel and are voluntarily consenting to return. Those with special needs are identified and receive specialized counselling and support.
In Ethiopia, IOM supports government-run COVID-19 quarantine facilities to accommodate the returnees on arrival and provides cash assistance, essential items and onward transportation to their homes. The Organization also supports family tracing for unaccompanied migrant children.
Across the Horn of Africa and Yemen, IOM provides life-saving support to migrants through health care, food, water and other vital assistance.
Today’s flight was funded by the US State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). Post-arrival assistance in Addis Ababa is supported by EU Humanitarian Aid and PRM.
Support Voice for African Migrants
Support VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best and latest migration, trafficking, displacement and humanitarian reports including thorough investigative reports in these areas, we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to VOICE FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
Trending
-
News1 year ago
Again, Nigeria denies deportation of nationals from Germany
-
Opinions1 year ago
International Migrants Day – Opinion Editorial
-
News1 year ago
International Migrants Day: JIFORM pushes for review of policy to benefit all
-
Investigation1 year ago
UNCOVERED: How NGOs, not FG facilitated release of ladies held captive in Lebanon
-
News3 months ago
Gavi, IOM join forces to improve immunization coverage for migrants
-
News9 months ago
Lead review of anti-human trafficking strategies in Nigeria- JIFORM tells NAPTIP
-
News1 year ago
Climate refugees can’t be returned home, says landmark UN human rights ruling
-
Investigation1 year ago
‘No Olvidado’: These Americans find and bury missing migrants