A World on the Move

In the waning days of the 20th Century, as many as one in every 50 people on the planet is a migrant. Perhaps 80 million souls. Many of those have been displaced by war, famine or politics. But the majority are economic migrants, driven by desperation, ambition or both to leave their homeland in search of a better life.

The current movements are truly global, affecting nearly every nation on Earth. They have already inspired bitter social, political and economic debate that is pushing them toward the top of the international agenda. And experts warn that the international pool of would-be migrants is growing exponentially.

World Report will examine this complex issue in a special edition next Tuesday.