Migration is making headlines in Europe, and climate change is increasingly acknowledged as a potentially
contributing factor to the decision to migrate. Consequently, calls for data on environmental migrants have become prominent. Estimates of 200 million to1 billion people moving due to environmental factors continue to be cited, including in the media. However, those figures are known for likely overestimating the
phenomenon and represent guesstimates rather than actual evidence (IPCC, 2007; Foresight, 2011;
Gemenne, 2011; Laczko and Piguet, 2014).
In response to growing calls for better data on migration, and better use and presentation of migration data,
IOM has created a Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC). Located in the heart of Berlin, Germany,
the Centre aims to provide authoritative and timely analysis of data on global migration issues as a global
hub for data and statistics on migration.