euro-Mediterranean Migration futures 55
become the fourth principal non-OECD source country for students, after
China (close to 340,000 students), India (almost 125,000) and Korea (95,000)
(OECD 2007). In view of its much smaller population size, this means that,
in relative terms, the largest non-OECD immigrant population residing in
OECD countries is of Moroccan origin.
These overall trends are replicated at the country level, where we some-
times have immigration f igures covering much longer periods. Figure
1.6 compares immigration trends from Morocco, Egypt and Turkey to
Germany. Because Turkish immigration is much larger in absolute terms,
and in order to facilitate comparison, immigration has been plotted with
the 1970s serving as the reference year (= 100). The f igure shows a declining
trend for Turkish migration, in particular, after 1980, whereas Moroccan
and, particularly, Egyptian migration showed a post-1983 increase, peaking
in the early 1990s. Since then, immigration has stagnated at lower levels.
While Turkish immigration is now about one quarter of its 1970s level,
current Moroccan and Egyptian migration is about half as high as in 1970.
Migration to Sweden has followed largely similar patterns, with a relative
increase in Moroccan and Egyptian migration since 1980, and a peak in the
early 1990s and again in the early 2000s (Figure 1.7). In contrast, Turkish
immigration decreased in the early 1990s to stagnate at levels just above
50 per cent of those in 1980.
Turkish and Moroccan migration to the Netherlands is of similar magni-
tude and Figure 1.8 displays immigration f igures going back to 1965. Turkish
Figure 1.6 Immigration of Turkish, Moroccan and Egyptian nationals
to Germany, 1970–2004
050100150200250300350400450197019721974197619781980198219841986198819901992199419961998200020022004Immigration by nationality (1970 = 100%)Turkey
Morocco
EgyptSource: German statistical office