A Closer look at Migration trends and forecasts

1 Shows the trendline plotted from the 2010 (previous year) World Bank migration data. Back in 2010, the figure 2,357,603 was the forecast number of immigrants coming into Malaysia. This figure is higher than the 1.8 million number provided by the Jabatan Imigresen a year later.

2 The 1.8 million above excludes expatriates (which makes up a small proportion only of total number immigrants) and mainly comprises of what is depicted in the piechart below. It is interesting to see the actual figure of 1.8 million being much lower than prior year and what was originally forecast. The maid-crisis last year definitely had an impact on migration figures.

3 Shows 2,227,603 in terms of people moving out from Malaysia from the 2010 World Bank data. This figures is however a forecast figure done in 2010.

4 Shows the highest case scenario of emigrants from the latest 2011 World Bank report.

5 Shows the lowest case scenario of emigrants from the latest 2011 World Bank report. Interesting to see both 4 & 5 is lower than prior year forecast of 2,227,603?.

Anyhow, there is an astounding jump from 1995 (1,055,870 Malaysians moving out) to 2005 (1,879,208 Malaysians moving out) and I wonder what are the causes for the lower figures in 2010 ie lower trend of people moving out of Malaysia. However we can't escape the fact that year-on-year based on the World Bank migration data, about 1 million people move out of Malaysia annually. This figure is high comparing to Malaysia's low number of personal income tax payer pool of about only 2 million people.