The most recent research conducted by the Pew Research Center, a polling company based in Washington, shows that roughly 1.5 million people living in the Sub-Saharan region would like to leave their countries. Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal are the top three source countries for migrants to the EU and the US, among those surveyed.
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The key reasons for their departure are low job prospects and unemployment, low wages, threat of armed conflict, modern day slavery and political instability. The authors of the study indicate that it is not necessarily so that all of the people who have expressed desire to leave will do so.
In recent years many European countries have faced significant a growth in immigration, especially from destabilized regions in the Middle East. The states are struggling to cope with the costs of accepting refugees and are trying to spread the burden. These attempts have caused a backlash from several EU-members who have refused to accept refugees. The EU states that were most severely hit by the immigration crisis have faced internal political tensions, the growth of right-wing parties and discontent among the native populations, who feel threatened by the newcomers.