#Migration: At least a million sub-Saharan Africans moved to Europe since 2010

International migration from countries in sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and the United States has grown dramatically over the past decade, a new Pew Research Center report finds, and the idea of migrating is on the minds of many Africans living south of the Sahara.

Most years since 2010 have witnessed a rising inflow of sub-Saharan asylum applicants in Europe, and lawful permanent residents and refugees in the US In Europe, the population of sub-Saharan migrants has been boosted by the influx of nearly 1 million asylum applicants (970,000) between 2010 and 2017, according to a Pew Research analysis of data from Eurostat, Europe’s statistical agency. In the U., more than 400,000 sub-Saharan lawful permanent resident and refugee arrivals moved to the U.S. between 2010 and 2016.

Will the inflow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and the US continue at the same pace in the years ahead? It is difficult to say. However, a Pew Research Center survey conducted between February and April 2017 in six sub-Saharan countries which have supplied many of the region’s migrants to the US and Europe finds substantial numbers who say they would move to another country if the means and opportunity presented themselves.

“Migration data show an increasing number of sub-Saharan Africans are moving to the U.S. and Europe this decade,” Senior Researcher Phillip Connor said. “Our surveys also find many sub-Saharan Africans are making plans to move out of Africa, with the U.S. and Europe being their top choices as destinations.”

Key findings in the report include:

Many sub-Saharan Africans plan to migrate: Pressures related to economic well-being and insecurity may help to explain why, beyond a general willingness to migrate, substantial shares of sub-Saharan Africans say they actually plan to move to another country in the next five years. Among the six countries polled, the share with plans to migrate ranges from roughly four-in-ten or more in Senegal (44%), Ghana (42%) and Nigeria (38%) to fewer than one-in-ten in Tanzania (8%).

If circumstances permitted, many sub-Saharan Africans would migrate abroad: The survey asked respondents whether they would go to live in another country, if they had the means and opportunity. At least four-in-ten in each sub-Saharan country surveyed answered yes, including roughly three-quarters of those surveyed in Ghana (75%) and Nigeria (74%).

In some sub-Saharan countries, U.S. preferred over Europe as destination: Among the 42% of Ghanaians who say they plan to migrate abroad in the next five years, four-in-ten (41%) identify the U.S. as their intended destination, while three-in-ten (30%) name a country in the E.U., Norway or Switzerland. Similarly, shares of potential migrants in South Africa (39% vs. 22%) and Kenya (39% vs. 12%) say they intend to migrate to the U.S. over Europe. Only in Senegal, a Francophone country, do more respondents that plan to move intend to migrate to a European country (49%), as opposed to the United States (24%).

The findings are for immediate release and are available here.

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. Subscribe to our daily and weekly email newsletters or follow us on our Fact Tank blog.

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