Countries

This page provides summary information on different countries and how their migration policies and outcomes (both immigration and emigration) inform the debate on migration liberalization and open borders. The link goes to the Open Borders page about the country.

Country Population (approx.) Reason for interest Blog posts
United States 318 million Largest rich country, highest absolute number of foreign-born, global political leader, historical experience as a country of immigration link
Germany 80 million German reunification, Gastarbeiter program, First World EU member, integration challenges for immigrants to Germany link
United Kingdom 64 million Large rich country, located in EU, has had open borders with colonies link
Canada 35 million Famous as being friendly to skill-based and refugee migration, border relations with US interesting, low population density link
Australia 23 million Famous for skill-biased migration policies, refugee policies interesting, low population density

link
Singapore 5.4 million Small, dense, city-state, extensive guest worker program for low-skilled workers, implements keyhole solutions similar to DRITI link
Hong Kong 7.1 million Small, dense, city-state with migration from mainland China, friendly to temporary low-skilled migration with migration taxes link
United Arab Emirates (UAE) 9.2 million Archipelago of dense city-states (including Dubai), 85% of population is foreign-born, guest worker program designed to maximize benefits for natives
Israel 8.1 million Law of Return (effective open borders for Jews worldwide), tense relations with Palestine and otherwise tense geopolitical situation, illegal immigration from Africa link
South Africa 53 million Apartheid and lifting are informative about the effects of loosening border restrictions; much richer than nearby countries, creating illegal immigration pressures link
Sweden 9.6 million Public sentiment and government policy are egalitarian-socialist, most pro-migration views among First World countries, generous refugee policy and fast path to citizenship link
India 1.2 billion Internal migration in India offers lessons for mass migration that might occur under open borders. Migration (or lack thereof) from nearby somewhat poorer countries is also informative. link

"The Efficient, Egalitarian, Libertarian, Utilitarian Way to Double World GDP" — Bryan Caplan