While the United States took the top spot, Germany came in second as the largest single destination for migrants. Although humanitarian migration has significantly dropped, family and labor migration are on the rise.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Charisius
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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday said Germany is the second-largest destination for migrants.
"Since 2015, European OECD countries have collectively received more permanent migrants that the United States," said the organization in a report. "Nevertheless, the United States remains the largest single destination country for migrants, followed by Germany."
Despite a rise in labor and family migration, the OECD noted a drop in humanitarian migration, for example, from refugees fleeing conflict.
At the height of the European migration crisis in 2015, nearly 900,000 migrants entered Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy, many of them seeking asylum. However, that figure has steadily dropped since then, contributing to an overall drop in migration.
"The decline in migration to Germany can mainly be attributed to a decrease in humanitarian migrants arriving in Germany," the OECD said. "Romania registered the biggest increase (8,300) and Syria the largest decrease (-103,000) in flows to Germany."
The report also showed that Germans are increasingly moving to other OECD countries. In 2018, German emigration went up by 3.3%.
"Approximately 16.3% of this group migrated to Switzerland, 13.5% to Austria and 10% to the United Kingdom," the report said.
The Netherlands and Spain were also included in the top five destinations for Germans. The US and France, however, were some of the few countries that recorded a drop.
More generally, migration across the 36 OECD countries rose slightly last year. "Family and labor migration increased, while the number of asylum applications fell sharply," the report said.
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
