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　　Adama, 24, almost died making the journey from Burkina Faso in Africa to Spain．Because he was an illegal migrant, he had to make the dangerous journey in a small boat which nearly sank．

　　He finally arrived in Madrid, Spain hoping for a better life, but his troubles didn’t end there．He has found it difficult to get a job, and has often had to sleep on the streets．

　　“In my country, at least I was able to eat．I felt very miserable．But I kept fighting, because I had to make a life for myself, ” he said．

　　Adama is one of 191 million people who have left their birthplace for a new life in another country, according to a United Nations report published on September 6．“State of the World Population” tells varied stories of people who leave home to look for a better life．

　　Most migrants move to wealthy nations, since they offer opportunities for higher wages, better education and healthcare．In the report, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan emphasized the positive effects of migration．Migrants are prepared to take jobs, which local people don’t want to do such as cleaning and agricultural labour．

　　Migrants work very hard because many want to earn money to send back to their poor families．The report showed that money sent home by migrants totalled US$232 billion in 2005, more than twice the amount 10 years ago? India, China and Mexico benefit most．

　　Many migrants move to Europe, which has an ageing population and not enough young workers．Migrants help to fill gaps in the labour market and support older people in retirement．

　　But critics of immigration say migrants are a threat to people’s jobs．They claim migrants lower working standards because they are prepared to accept less money and fewer benefits．Many people fear too much immigration will destroy their traditional societies．

　　Other critics say Western countries should not encourage skilled workers to leave their homelands．It can lead to a shortage of skilled labour in less developed places like Africa, where there are now too few nurses to work in the hospitals．

　　“There is an urgent need for stronger co-operation between countries to make migration safe and fair, ” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the United Nations population Fund．

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