Covid limits migration despite more people displaced by war and disasters

IOM report finds 9m more people displaced globally but mobility restricted due to pandemic, with vaccination proving a key factor

The coronavirus pandemic had a radical effect on migration, limiting movement despite increasing levels of internal displacement from conflict and climate disasters, the UN's International Organization for Migration said in a report on Wednesday.

Though the number of people who migrated internationally increased to 281 million in 2020 - 9 million more than before Covid-19 - the number was 2 million lower than expected without a pandemic, according to the report.