Download or read book Atlas of Migration 2021 written by and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the end of 2020, there were an estimated 281 million people around the world who had migrated from one country to live in another. Many millions more moved within their countries of origin, migrating from villages and towns to rapidly-growing cities. Migration has continued to be a policy priority for Europe. The EU has had to respond to several crises, whether in the case of people fleeing Afghanistan, crossing the Mediterranean Sea or camping out in the cold at the EU's external borders. At the same time, it has also sought to create more pathways for legal migration because, in the words of Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, 'Europe needs talent ... So Europe can have the skills we need to face the future. And to help us manage migration to Europe, in an orderly way.'1 In this context, the latest iteration of the Atlas of Migration could not be more important. The Atlas collates international data which are harmonised and validated for 27 EU Member States and 171 countries and territories around the world. These data are presented in individual country profiles, and overviews for continents and sub-continental regions. The 2021 edition also includes a thematic section which provides new insights on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration in Europe and around the world. Each year, the Atlas of Migration provides a shining example of the innovation, rigour and collaboration which characterises the Joint Research Centre's support to evidence-based policymaking in the European Commission. My personal thanks go not only to the team members who have produced this tool, but also to the broader network of colleagues across the Commission and the EEAS who have fed into its development and dissemination. Finally, let us also remember that there is much more to migration than the numbers. Many migrants, with their own experiences, aspirations, hopes and fears, have played a key part in our societies' response to and recovery from the pandemic. Two children of Turkish immigrants to Germany, Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, founded the company which produced the first vaccine approved for use against the virus. And thousands of migrants in key worker roles have kept our societies functioning. Migration has shaped societies around the world, and continues to do so.