Saturday, July 9, 2011

Do you know which ten cities have the largest foreign-born populations?


Before I reveal the winners, here is a Wikipedia definition of foreign born:

Foreign born (also non-native) is a term used to describe a person born outside of their country of residence. Foreign born are often non-citizens, but are also frequently naturalized citizens of a country.

The term foreign born encompasses both immigrants and expatriates but is not synonymous with either. Foreign born may, like immigrants, have committed to living in a country permanently or, like expatriates, live abroad for a significant period with the plan to return to their birth-country eventually.

The status of foreign born — particularly their access to citizenship — differs globally. The large groups of foreign born guest workers in the Gulf States, for example, have no right to citizenship no matter the length of their residence. In Canada and the United States, by contrast, foreign born are often citizens or in the process of becoming citizens. Certain countries have intermediary rules: in Germany and Japan it is often difficult but not impossible for the foreign born to become citizens.

Now, here is the list from highest to lowest:

Dubai
Hong Kong
Toronto
Miami
Los Angeles
Riyadh
Sydney
San Francisco
Melbourne
London

How do you think this effects economics, poltics, and culture in these cities? The answer is, of course, every situation is influenced by different variables.