Over recent decades, migration has risen steadily, and today, over 280 million people, or 3.6 percent worldwide, are global migrants, living  outside their country of birth, with Christians the largest migrant group.

Christians made up an estimated 47 percent of people living outside their country of birth as of 2020, the latest year available, found a new Pew Research Center analysis of United Nations data and 270 censuses and surveys.

Muslims made up 29 percent of living migrants, followed by Hindus (5 percent), Buddhists (4 percent) and Jews (1 percent).

The religiously unaffiliated –those saying they have no religion or who identify as atheist or agnostic – represented 13 percent of all the people who have left their country of birth and are now living elsewhere.

Over the past three decades, the total number of people living as international migrants has increased by 83 percent, outpacing the growth of the global population by 47 percent.

The Pew report focused on stocks of people rather than migrants' flows.

Pee counted all adults and children who now live outside their countries of birth, no matter when they left.

It found that the religious makeup of migration flows can change drastically from year to year, due to wars, economic crises, and natural disasters.

Yet the total stock of migrants changes more slowly, reflecting patterns that have accumulated over time.

The religious makeup of all international migrants has remained relatively stable since 1990.

Christians make up a much larger share of migrants (47 percent) than they do of the world's population (30 percent).

Mexico is the country with the most common origin of Christian migrants, and the United States is the most common destination.

Muslims account for a slightly larger share of migrants (29 percent) than of the world's population (25 percent).

MUSLIM MIGRANTS

Syria is the most common origin country for Muslim migrants, and Muslims often move to places in the Middle East-North Africa region, such as Saudi Arabia.

People who say they have no religion make up a smaller percentage of migrants (13 percent) than of the global population (23 percent).

China is the most common origin country for religiously unaffiliated migrants, and the United States is their most common destination.

Hindus are glaringly underrepresented among international migrants (5 percent) compared with their share of the global population at 15%.

India is both the most common country of origin and the top destination for Hindu migrants.

Buddhists comprise 4 percent of the world's population and 4 percent of its international migrants.

Myanmar (also called Burma) is the most common origin country for Buddhist migrants, while Thailand is their most common destination.

Jews form a much larger share of migrants (1 percent) than of the world's population (0.2 percent).

Israel is the most frequent origin country among Jewish migrants and their top destination.

Pew reported that of the major religious groups, Jews are by far the likeliest to have migrated.

Twenty percent of Jews reside outside of their country of birth, compared with smaller shares of Christians (6 percent, Muslims (4 percent, Hindus (1 percent), Buddhists (4 percent and those unaffiliated with a television (2 percent).