24/06/2026
You’ve heard people say “the world is more connected than ever before.” But what does that mean in practice? What do these connections look like? Where are people leaving, and where are they going?
For decades, a complete picture of global migration has eluded researchers – the result of insufficient data, differing definitions, and an overreliance on fixed data points like censuses. Now, HKU sociologist and demographer Professor Guy Abel is using new data sets and innovative new tools like deep learning to fill in the blank spaces on the map.
Professor Abel’s most recent paper, published this month in Nature, features a transformative new dataset – developed together with Dr Thomas Gaskin of LSE – showing that global migration nearly tripled in the 2000s, from 13 million people per year in 2000 to 35 million in 2023.
Equally important, the pair’s work sheds new light on often-overlooked or misunderstood aspects of the global migration picture, from the rise of South Asian migration to the Middle East to migration within the Global South.
“As populations age, migration within the global north is declining and increasing in the global south,” Professor Abel says. “Having a better understanding of these patterns is important. It’s not just about migrating to rich regions, people also move to neighbouring countries.”
Want to see their work for yourself? Check out the Global Migration Data Explorer here: https://www.socsc.hku.hk/rhps/global-migration/
你或許常聽人說「世界比以往任何時候都更加緊密相連」。但在現實中，這種連結不僅體現在資訊與經貿的往來，更取決於「人」的流動。那麼，全球人口遷移的流動全貌到底長甚麼樣子？人們正從哪裡離開，又前往何處？
數十年來，由於數據不完整及過度依賴人口普查等固定資料，完整的研究全景始終模糊。香港大學社會學家及人口學家 Guy Abel 教授正在運用全新的數據集，以及包括深度學習在內的創新工具，填補這幅地圖上長久以來的空白。
其最新研究論文於本月發表在頂尖學術期刊《Nature》上。在這項研究中，Abel 教授與倫敦政經學院（LSE）的 Thomas Gaskin 博士共同開發了一個具有變革性的全新數據集。結果顯示，自 2000 年以來，全球人口遷移量幾乎增加了三倍，每年遷移人數已從 2000 年的約 1,300 萬人，大幅增至 2023 年的 3,500 萬人。
同時，兩人的研究更為過往被忽略的全球遷移面向帶來全新啟示，讓我們能更清晰地看見南亞向中東的遷移浪潮，以及「全球南方」國家之間的區域性流動。Abel 教授指出：「人們不僅僅是遷往富裕地區，也會遷移到鄰近國家。 隨著人口老化，全球北方內部的遷移正在減少，而在全球南方則在增加，更好地理解這些模式非常重要。」
#香港大學 #港大
