The Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration from 1998 provide a practical guidance on how to collect the statistics on migrant stock and flows relevant to the study of the field. However, changes in migration patterns, border control, as well as methods in data collection in the last 20 years have pointed to the need for undertaking a revision of the documents.  To lead this update and broadly improve statistic on international migration for effective policymaking, the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) formally established the Expert Group on Migration Statistics (EGMS) in 2018, at its 49th session.

Its membership includes a group of subject matter experts from national statistical offices and migration-relevant line ministries from 21 countries, 18 different international/regional organisations, and a handful of subject-matter experts from academic institutions. Its Secretariat is based in the UN Statistical Division (UNSD). 

A key focus of the Group is advancing methodologies to measure the phenomenon monitoring progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Members meets face-to-face at least once a year, and their work is organised around five task forces.