International migration between countries lying to the south and north of the Mediterranean has always been an issue of major importance. But, although these exchanges of population have continually taken place, their political significance has increased dramatically due to the different demographic circumstances on either side of the Mediterranean, the challenge migration presents to the maintenance of political equilibrium between states and the implications of cross-cultural transfers. However, any intelligent discussion of migration and culture contact first requires an assessment of the number of people involved. This helps us to ascertain what the current trends are and how they are changing in order to try to hypothesize what the future may hold. Despite the poor reliability of the data and the difficulty in comparing these data in space and time, it seems that some clear preferences are reflected in recent migration flows, with new countries gaining prominence as sending countries or receiving coun tries. Furthermore, there is evidence that the total number of migrations from south to north is decreasing, while return migrations from north to south are becoming more common.