The terrestrial impact of the Three Gorges Dam
However, since Russia declared war on Ukraine in 2022, many more Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homeland.
In 2023, there were 51,000 people of Afghan descent living in Hamburg, Germany.
The Ukrainian diaspora is represented by people who left their homeland in several waves of emigration, settling mainly in the Americas (US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina), but also Australia and across Europe.
The majority of the diaspora has been formed by Afghan refugees since the start of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979, with the largest numbers temporarily residing in neighboring Iran.
Since the early '80s, over half a million Afghans migrated to Europe, mostly to the UK and Germany, while a quarter of a million went to North America.
The Ukrainian diaspora is now estimated to be between 12-20 million people worldwide.
The United Kingdom is home to the largest Bangladeshi community in Europe. Other countries where there are significant Bangladeshi communities include the US, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Italy, Canada, and Australia.
Members of the Bangladeshi diaspora have mostly moved abroad for better living conditions, and to escape poverty.
Brazil, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Germany are the countries with the largest Syrian communities.
The largest Arab diaspora in the world, the estimated number of people of Syrian descent residing outside Syria ranges from eight to 13 million.
The largest Bangladeshi diaspora population is in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 2.5 million Bangladeshis living there.
This old diaspora has now increased with the wave of Syrian refugees who fled, and continue to flee, Syria because of the ongoing conflict.
The largest Russian communities can be found in Germany, Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia.
According to the Pakistani Ministry of Emigration and Overseas Employment, and data released in 2023, more than 10.8 million people have moved abroad since 1990.
Today, over nine million Pakistanis live abroad, with an estimated four million Pakistanis residing in the Persian Gulf region.
One of the largest diasporas from Asia, Filipinos are made up of a variety of ethnic, linguistic, and regional groups.
The majority of them are migrant workers, known as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). They even have their own political party (OFW Family Club) in the Philippine Congress.
There are approximately over 12 million Filipinos living overseas, mainly in North America and in the Middle East.
The largest overseas Chinese communities are in Asia, notably Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Three countries outside Asia, namely the US, Canada, and Australia, have populations of over one million in size.
The Pakistani diaspora maintains a significant presence in the Middle East (mainly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), the UK, and the US.
Major populations come primarily from 19th-century indentured workers, living in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Fiji, Malaysia, and South Africa. Other places with a large Indian diaspora include Canada, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Sources: (World Migration Report) (National Geographic) (Forbes)
See also: The countries with the strictest immigration laws
With around 18 million of its citizens living in other countries, India has the biggest diaspora in the world. At present, about 2.5 million Indians migrate abroad every year, the largest number in the world.
The Indian diaspora is broadly divided into two groups: NRIs (Indian citizens not residing in India) and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin who have acquired the citizenship of some other country).
The Overseas Chinese, also known as the Chinese diaspora, are one of the largest diasporas in the world. There are more than 10.7 million Chinese overseas today, and about 60 million descendants.
Over 30 million people of Mexican ancestry live in the US, ranging from recent immigrants to people of Mexican descent. The second most popular destination, Canada, has a diaspora of 155,380 people.
The majority of the Mexican diaspora live especially in the American Southwest, which borders Mexico.
Los Angeles is said to be the second-largest Mexican city (home to one to two million alone), while the populace of San Antonio are over half of Mexican descent.
A significant ethnic Russian emigration first took place in the 17th century. Then there was another wave during a period before the October Revolution and after World War II, and again after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Upon the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent military mobilization ordered by Vladimir Putin, Russians have been fleeing the country, most notably to Kazakhstan and Turkey.
Diasporic populations often have strong social and cultural ties to their original homeland, but may also have multiple cultural identities.
These are the largest diasporas in the world
These are the 10 largest diaspora populations
LIFESTYLE Immigration
Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. In fact, the global number of international migrants is estimated to be 281 million. And while immigrants are people from any nation, there is one term known as "diaspora" that is used to describe a large group of people who share a cultural and regional origin. They reveal stories of war and displacement, but also of economic stagnation and a lack of perspectives.
Intrigued? Click on to discover the 10 largest diasporas in the world.