Global migratory flows are growing in scale and complexity. In recent years, the ease of travel and communication, the global recession and new conflicts have contributed to rising numbers of migrants across the globe: to 258 million in 2017 from 173 million in 2000, rising to 3.32% of the global population from 2.82%. While this proportion has remained fairly consistent over the years, the number of individuals forcibly displaced has reached a record high. Refugees and asylum seekers account for approximately 10% of the international migrant stock at mid-2017. In addition, approximately 40.3 million people globally are displaced within their own countries. In total, over 66 million people globally are experiencing forced displacement. Expanding push factors are blurring the boundaries between forced displacement and voluntary migration and have seen the consolidation of a people-smuggling industry worth billions. As push factors overlap, a single term can no longer define individuals on the move. The plethora of evolving variables that shape migration pose several important and immediate questions about the risks and opportunities facing migrants, the regions and countries they move through, and the future of international protection.