From poorer to richer: migrants flock to U.S., Europe People in poorer countries in the southern hemisphere are increasingly migrating to richer countries, mostly in the northern parts of the world, in search of a better economic future. The trend has sped up since the early 1990s, a new study by the International Monetary Fund reveals. The accompanying chart shows where global migrants are ending up. Australia, Canada, the United States and Northern Europe not surprisingly have become magnets for immigrants. But the Persian Gulf states and even Kazakhstan, a small but resource-rich central Asian nation, are also popular destinations. Similarly, the number of people fleeing to other countries because of war or repression has climbed to the highest level since the early 1990s, and it’s likely to rise even higher. Although most migrants who move for humanitarian reasons flock to neighboring countries, an increasing portion are seeking asylum in peaceful northern nations. Witness the exodus of people from Syria and other war-torn parts of the Mideast to Europe. The number of migrants of all kinds — economic or humanitarian — has tripled since 1960, the IMF said. And the share of well-educated migrants has doubled, exacerbating the problem of “brain drain” in less advanced countries. The higher level of immigration, however, has also fueled a backlash among citizens in richer countries who believe newcomers are depressing wages and taking jobs. Immigration is a hot-button issue in the U.S. ahead of the 2016 presidential election. More from MarketWatch