United News of Bangladesh

International migration isn't just a global statistic; it's the raw pulse of human stories, sparked by fragile dreams of safety, prosperity, or family reunions, yet so often crushed under waves of heartbreak and hardship no one deserves. As of mid-2024, the latest UN figures peg the global international migrant stock at 304 million people, about 3.7% of the world's population, each one shouldering a personal saga of bravery, grief, and quiet resilience. These aren't faceless numbers; they're people like Ibtihal from Syria, who fled war in 2013 with her husband and five kids to Jordan, scraping by for over a decade before returning in 2025 to a ruined home that brought tears of joy and sorrow, as she whispered, "Life is truly painful." Or Harjit Singh from India's Punjab, who pawned family land for an $80,000 smuggling trek to the US, enduring jungles and detention only to be deported in debt, confessing, "I am broken inside… I don't see a future." And Maawia Alhassan from Sudan, a once-thriving shop owner who lost everything in 2023's conflict, fleeing alone to Uganda while agonizing over his missing wife and kids, holding on as he says, "The pain is immense, but I haven’t given up." Read more: Challenges mount  for Bangladesh as legal migration to Malaysia remains stalled Top Countries Hosting and Sending International Migrants You know how migration really works? It's not this neat little diagram; it's all over the place, with people heading out for decent work, dodging wars, coping with crazy climate stuff, or just holding onto family connections. The UN's newest numbers, fresh from their 2024 update that dropped in early 2025, have the total international migrants jumping from 275 million in 2020 up to 304 million by mid-2024, mostly because of big displacements and spots crying out for extra hands on deck. Primary Host Nations: Havens Amid Strain Host countries provide refuge and opportunity, but often at a cost to both newcomers and locals. The United States, home to over 52 million migrants, exemplifies this duality. Immigrants fuel innovation and growth, yet many, like undocumented farmworkers, toil in fields under harsh conditions, their contributions vital yet undervalued. Germany, with its welcoming policies, hosts millions fleeing conflict, but integration stories reveal struggles, such as language barriers that leave families feeling adrift. Table: Here are the top 10 host countries, based on UN data for 2024. Rank Country Migrant Stock (millions) 1 United States 52.4 2 Germany 16.8 3 Saudi Arabia 13.7 4 Russia 12.0 5 United Kingdom 9.6 6 United Arab Emirates 8.8 7 France 8.5 8 Canada 8.0 9 Australia 7.7 10 Italy 6.4 . Read more: Essential services for Rohingyas at risk of collapsing; 150,000 more enter Bangladesh in 18 months: UNHCR In Gulf states like the UAE, migrants from South Asia build skyscrapers but often face exploitative labor practices, their passports confiscated, binding them like modern-day indentured servants. Leading Countries of Origin: Roots of Departure Origin countries lose talent and youth, yet gain through remittances that sustain economies. India leads, with 18.5 million emigrants whose journeys are laced with sacrifice, think of Priya, a nurse in the UK, video-calling her children nightly, her heart torn between duty and longing. The top 10 origin countries in 2024: Rank Country Emigrants (millions) 1 India 18.5 2 Mexico 12.0 3 China 11.7 4 Russia  10.5 5 Syria 8.2 6 Philippines 6.5 7 Ukraine 6.0 8 Bangladesh 5.5 9 Pakistan 5.0 10 Afghanistan 4.8 Remittances reached $685 billion to low- and middle-income countries in 2024, often outpacing aid and investment, funding school fees and medical bills that keep families afloat. Read more: Rohingyas are victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness: Prof Yunus

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said Bangladesh has established itself as a developing country, defying numerous challenges and obstacles both from home and abroad.  “We’ve got established ourselves as a developing country. We’ve reached here overcoming so many hurdles both from home and abroad,” she said.  The Prime Minister said this in her introductory speech at the weekly Cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat. She joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobahban. She vowed to build Bangladesh as ‘Golden Bangladesh’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “Bangladesh is now independent, and it’ll remain independent. We’ll build it as Golden Bangladesh of the Father of the Nation,” she reaffirmed. Sheikh Hasina hoped that Bangladesh will advance further in the coming days from where it is now standing. Talking about her 40th homecoming day, the Prime Minister said she returned to her homeland defying all the odds and obstacles. “There were many restrictions…the then government wouldn’t allow me to return in any way, there’re various conspiracies against me,” she recalled. Hasina said the war criminals, the trial of whom was started by Bangabandhu, was stopped and they were released, and even they were in power as the killers were given the indemnity. “I didn’t think anything…I just returned.” Also read: Don’t let Covid to spike with unguarded Eid celebrations: PM Hasina Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said it crossed her mind at that time that the country’s independence must not be allowed to go in vain. “It has to be made meaningful. It’s also there in Sheikh Rehana’s mind.” She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the activists and leaders of the then Awami League who made her president in her absence. Talking about the distortion of the country’s history, the Prime Minister said the real history was totally erased and distorted completely. “Now there’s a confidence no one will be able to temper the country’s history and erase it anymore.” She expressed gratitude to the people of the country as well the leaders and activists of Awami League for this. Today is the 40th homecoming day of Awami League President. On May 17, 1981, she returned home after a long exile. Also read: 2-day exhibition marking Sheikh Hasina’s homecoming begins in city Boarding an aircraft of Indian Airlines, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina reached the then Kurmitola Airport here from the Indian capital of New Delhi via Kolkata at 4.30pm on the day. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally killed along with most of his family members on August 15 in 1975 and his two daughters – Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – luckily escaped it as they were abroad. In a national council session of the Awami League on February 14-16, 1981, Sheikh Hasina was elected party president, giving the party a much-sought impetus.