The global significance of migration has increased markedly in the last few decades. Many migrants relocate within the boundaries of their own countries often from rural to urban areas while others cross one or more international boundary while migrating. Their motivations for migrating may include economic, educational, or familial reasons; or they may be forced to migrate due to natural disasters, war, or political conflicts such as in the case of refugees or internally displaced persons.

Migration issues have gained prominence in the international and domestic agendas of many countries. Quality data on internal and international migration along with fertility and mortality are fundamental to prepare accurate population estimates for planning purposes, to allocate resources, and to determine migration policies. Moreover, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda provides a new global development framework for the years between 2015 and 2030. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets with their 244 indicators demon-strate the scale and ambition of this new universal agenda. Of the 244 indicators, 30 make reference to migration; 24 require disaggregation by migration status; 5 concern migration directly; and indicator provides context regarding the density and distribution of health workers. The international community agreed to address these data gaps by investing in more methodological work, more fully utilizing existing data, and addressing the urgent need to enhance capacities of national statistical offices (NSOs).

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