Research Information System
in: Current Studies in Management Information Systems, Filiz Varol Gürder, Editor, Akademisyen Kitabevi, Ankara, pp.1-15, 2023
People have always migrated. The history of mankind
is also a history of migration. Global migration, i.e. intercontinental
mobility, has existed since the beginning of colonialism. It is estimated that
from the dawn of colonialism in the 1500s to the industrial age of 1914, more
than 100 million people participated in large and long migrations or were sold (Atlas of Migration, 2020). The number of international migrants worldwide, which was 153 million
in 1990, has risen to more than 280 million worldwide by mid-2020. At the end
of 2021 alone, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
counted around 89.3 million people displaced from their homes, 53.2 million of
whom were internally displaced. Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine are not
included in these statistics (Statista 2022). Today every modern society and every state
is a result of this mobility.
Migration affects almost every country in the
world. Migration processes and consequences know no borders, status,
territories or forms of government. It encompasses more people, actors and
countries than ever before. Migration is a transnational phenomenon and no
country can solve problems alone. For this reason, it is helpful to know the
numbers and impact of migration on the world and countries. On the other hand,
it is necessary to clarify the current conceptual confusion. Crowds of
immigrants are referred to by terms such as immigrant, asylum seeker, refugee,
and foreigner. However, the legal status of these terms differs from each
other.
This study aims to see the dimensions and impact of
this high number of migrations while the influx of refugees continues in the
world and in Turkey in particular. In the study, the data collected through
document analysis, one of the qualitative research techniques, was analyzed
through a descriptive analysis method. Documents examined from international
sources contain data for 2020 and 2021.
Examining the causes of migration shows that there
is usually flight from war and terror, hope for prosperity, traditions and
changing borders. A comparison of the country's own population with the number
of immigrants taken in shows that the countries that take in the highest
proportion of refugees are the neighboring countries of Syria. From around the
world, it can be seen that the largest migration in recent years has been from
Mexico to the United States, while the largest migration in the rest of the
world has been from Syria to Turkey. For several years, Turkey has continued to
be the country that receives the most immigrants in the world. According to
official figures, around 4 million refugees and asylum seekers are living in
Turkey at the end of 2021, which has been struggling with increasing
difficulties in recent years. Even if it was initially assumed that the
refugees who had immigrated were temporary people, over time this process has
developed into a permanent provisional arrangement. Most of these refugees and
asylum seekers come from Syria. About 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers are
of other nationalities, mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. One in 23
people living in Turkey left their country and immigrated (Statista, 2022). Refugee means financial and social transfer. Financial and social
transfers by immigrants pose both risks and opportunities. The high number of
refugees means increasing pressure on resources and infrastructure in Turkey.