The temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe: Recent trends

Abstract

Descriptive studies of international migration typically rely on measures of migrant stocks and migration rates to assess migration patterns. In this paper we propose a third alternative. Using harmonized data on age-specific migration flows between all countries in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) each year from 2002 to 2007, we estimate the expected duration of residence of international migration, defined as the average number of years lived by migrants in the receiving country given period migration and mortality schedules. Our results provide a window into the temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe, increasingly relevant given recent expansions of the EU.