E.g., 07/09/2026
E.g., 07/09/2026
Migration & Development

Migration & Development

_DevelopmentImpacts

Governments, development specialists, and others have rediscovered the connections between migration and development. Yet while increasing volumes of research have focused on the actual and potential contributions of migrant communities to sustainable development or poverty reduction in their countries of origin, the findings have not been systematically translated into policy guidance. One result is that little coherence is to be found between the development and migration policies of governments in countries of destination and origin—a reality that the research offered here seeks to address.

Recent Activity

Cover image for From Exile to Return
Reports
April 2026
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Susan Fratzke
Cover image for Best Practices for Designing and Managing Labour Migration Corridors to Europe
Reports
December 2025
By  Kate Hooper, María Belén Zanzuchi, Abigail Goldfarb, Ravenna Sohst and Bertrand Steiner
Cover image for Funding Climate Mobility Projects...
Policy Briefs
March 2025
By  Lawrence Huang and Samuel Davidoff-Gore
Cover image for Exploring Refugees’ Intentions to Return to Ukraine
Reports
December 2024
By  Ravenna Sohst, Tino Tirado, Lucía Salgado and Jasmijn Slootjes
Cover image for Engaging Local Communities for More Effective Climate Mobility Programming
Policy Briefs
October 2024
By  Lawrence Huang and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for Displacement and International Protection in a Warming World
Policy Briefs
September 2024
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Lawrence Huang
Cover image for The Role of Immigrant Workers in the Green Transition
Policy Briefs
September 2024
By  Kate Hooper and Lawrence Huang
Cover image for Public Opinion of Climate Migrants
Policy Briefs
September 2024
By  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and Lawrence Huang
People cross a bridge in the middle of a flooded city in Pakistan.

Floods and other environmental crises have caused massive displacement in Pakistan, most of this migration remaining within the country. Often, climate-displaced people go to the megacity of Karachi, where many settle permanently. This article offers perspectives from climate migrants living in several informal settlements in Karachi.

The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

People hold Brazilian flags

The United States is home to the largest Brazilian community outside Brazil. Still, Brazilians account for only about 1 percent of all U.S. immigrants. This population has grown rapidly in recent years, with nearly two-thirds of Brazilian immigrants arriving since 2010, as this article details.

A family takes a photo in Washington, DC.

Indian immigrants comprise the second largest foreign-born group in the United States, even though they tend to have arrived more recently. Immigrants from India tend to have considerably more education than other groups and roughly one-fifth live in California. This article offers a range of information about this diverse group. 

A crowd in Benin City, Nigeria. (Photo: IOM/Agara Barinedum)

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, sits at the crossroads of the continent’s migration landscape. As both a regional immigration hub and an origin for significant emigration, the country contends with a wide range of migration issues that have evolved over time. This country profile situates Nigeria's migration trends and policies.

After being stranded in Libya, migrant from Senegal returns with help from IOM
Short Reads
June 2026
By  Camille Le Coz and Ravenna Sohst
Equipment for a USAID project in Indonesia
Short Reads
April 2025
By  Lawrence Huang, Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Susan Fratzke
Image of women and young children from Ukraine arriving at train station in Bucharest
Short Reads
October 2022
By  Maria Vincenza Desiderio and Kate Hooper
Photo of a group of women collecting water from a riverbed in Kenya
Short Reads
October 2022
By  Lawrence Huang
Image of Central American migrant caravan passing through Chiapas, Mexico
Short Reads
April 2022
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
How the World Is Learning to Respond Collectively to Climate Displacement
Expert Q&A, Audio
June 30, 2026

The coordinated global response to climate change-driven displacement is relatively new and continuing to evolve. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration speaks with Walter Kälin, a longtime humanitarian expert and Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, who breaks down where things stand.

Climate Change Is Making People Sick. Can Migration Help?
Expert Q&A, Audio
May 26, 2026

Leaving a climate-vulnerable place can potentially lead to better health outcomes for individuals, but only under the right circumstances. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration features economist and researcher Ilse Ruyssen, who discusses the intersection of climate change, migration, and health.

Priced Out: Climate Change, Home Insurance, and the People Stuck in the Middle
Expert Q&A, Audio
April 23, 2026

Climate change is making home insurance more expensive and less available, which can push some people to relocate or force others to either pay more money or go without insurance and risk catastrophe. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration features Talley Burley from the Environmental Defense Fund.

First Displacement, then Disasters: How Refugees Contend with Climate Change
Expert Q&A, Audio
April 9, 2026

Refugees are among the people most vulnerable to climate change. This episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast focuses on these impacts, with insights from Ayoo Irene Hellen, a South Sudanese refugee in Uganda and climate advocate. 

Climate Displacement from Indigenous Lands
Expert Q&A, Audio
February 23, 2026

What happens when climate change and other factors force Indigenous people off their ancestral homelands? Environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez, a climate justice and Indigenous advocate, joins this episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast to discuss the factors compelling migration for Indigenous communities, their experiences after migration and the dearth of Indigenous voices in policy discussions.

Recent Activity

Expert Q&A, Audio
June 30, 2026

The coordinated global response to climate change-driven displacement is relatively new and continuing to evolve. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration speaks with Walter Kälin, a longtime humanitarian expert and Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, who breaks down where things stand.

Short Reads
June 2026

EU policymakers are under mounting pressure to increase returns, yet the reintegration of returnees remains a politically overlooked dimension. This short read examines the fragmented landscape of assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) programs, the limits of current approaches, and how a more coherent European framework—anchored in local institutions and development partnerships—could better serve both returnees as well as origin and destination countries.

Articles

Floods and other environmental crises have caused massive displacement in Pakistan, most of this migration remaining within the country. Often, climate-displaced people go to the megacity of Karachi, where many settle permanently. This article offers perspectives from climate migrants living in several informal settlements in Karachi.

Expert Q&A, Audio
May 26, 2026

Leaving a climate-vulnerable place can potentially lead to better health outcomes for individuals, but only under the right circumstances. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration features economist and researcher Ilse Ruyssen, who discusses the intersection of climate change, migration, and health.

Articles

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

Articles

The United States is home to the largest Brazilian community outside Brazil. Still, Brazilians account for only about 1 percent of all U.S. immigrants. This population has grown rapidly in recent years, with nearly two-thirds of Brazilian immigrants arriving since 2010, as this article details.

Reports
April 2026

The fall of Syria’s Assad regime has raised questions in high-income countries about when displaced Syrians will return home. Similar conversations are underway about the nearly 7 million displaced Ukrainians. This report examines the complexity of facilitating returns without imperiling reconstruction, fueling additional displacement, and uprooting well-integrated workers and members of host societies.

Expert Q&A, Audio
April 23, 2026

Climate change is making home insurance more expensive and less available, which can push some people to relocate or force others to either pay more money or go without insurance and risk catastrophe. This episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration features Talley Burley from the Environmental Defense Fund.