CENSUS OF ALIENS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 40, 17 February 1937, Page 18

CENSUS OF ALIENS

INTERESTING ' FIGURES

According to a study published by , the International Labour Office, there were throughout the world, in 1930, 28 900,000 aliens, or persons living in another country than their own. This figure represents 1.6 per cent, of the I total world population, estimated at Isome 2000 million persons. i The countries with the greatest number of aliens were: The United States, with 6,300,000 (or 21.8 per cent, of all aliens recorded in the world); and Argentina, with 2,800,000. Then came the following countries:— France, which had 2,400,000 in 1926 and 2,700,000 in 1931; Brazil, with 1,500,000 in 1920; British Malaya, with 1,870,000; Siam, with 1,000,000; and Germany, with 787,000. The countries where the increase in the number of aliens was the greatest were, in ascending order, in Europe: Greece, Italy, France, and the Netherlands; outside Europe: Argentina, Canada. Hong Kong, the Netherlands East" Indies, British Malaya, and Korea. However, in order to have a fairer idea of the importance of the problem of aliens in a country, account must be taken of the number of aliens per thousand inhabitants, or the "proportion of aliens." The average proportion for Europe (not including the U.S.S.R.) was 15.4; but it rose to 186 in Luxemburg, 87 in Switzerland, 66 in France. 43 in Austria, and 39 in Belgium. The following countries have figures below the average proportion:— Germany (12), Bulgaria (10), Hungary (9), Turkey (6), Portugal (5), the British Isles (4),.1ta1y and Finland (3). Important changes have taken place in this field since the war. While in Germany (present territory) the number of aliens decreased, France, which in 1910 had 29 aliens per thousand inhabitants, had 39 per thousand in 19,21 and 66 per thousand in 1931. Switzerland, which in 1910 had the highest proportion in Europe (148 per thousand), after that period had a decrease,which has continued (104 in 1920 and 87 in 1930).

The number of Asiastics in foreign countries increased from 5 millions in 1910 to 9J millions in J. 930. But the number of Europeans abroad, although it' slightly decreased from 1910' to 1930, w,as still much greater—22,4oo,ooo 'in 1930, or more than double.

.The publication prepared by the International Labour Office containing this information is the first international study made of national census figures relating to aliens. • It is a comparative study of the censuses of 1910, 1920, and 1930, dealing with 141 territories. It also brings out the difficulties underlying an international comparison of the results of such censuses—because of the lack of comparability •of national statistics and the divergences as to the notion and definition of an alien.