World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees and Societies
From the World Bank Group, this report proposes a framework to best manage the economic, societal and human impacts of migration.
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Migration has been part of the human experience since the earliest days of civilization. Homo sapiens left Africa’s Omo Valley some 200,000 years ago, and since then humans have never ceased to move, producing distinct cultures, languages and ethnicities. Migration has proved to be a powerful force for development, improving the lives of hundreds of millions of migrants, their families and the societies in which they live across the world. But, there are challenges as well — for migrants, their countries of origin and their countries of destination.
This report defines migrants as people who live outside their country of nationality — whether they moved in search of better economic opportunities or were displaced by conflict or persecution (refugees). It does not consider people who have been naturalized in their country of residence as migrants. It is the lack of citizenship — and of the associated civil, political and economic rights — that creates distinct challenges for migrants and policymakers, not the fact that people moved at some point in their life.
The report proposes a framework to best manage the economic, societal and human impacts of migration. Combining insights from labor economics and international law, it looks at the degree to which migrants’ skills and attributes are in demand at their destination (match) and whether they seek opportunities or fear for their lives in their country of origin (motive). It distinguishes between four different types of movements and identifies priority policies and interventions to fully realize the development benefits in all situations. To make change happen, international cooperation is critical — and so is empowering new voices that can change the nature and tone of the current debates.
Key Takeaways
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of international migration and its potential to serve as a force for growth and shared prosperity in all countries.
- This report focuses on people who lack citizenship in the country in which they live: about 184 million people across the world, including 37 million refugees.
- Rapid demographic change is making migration increasingly necessary for countries at all income levels.
- This report presents a powerful framework to guide policymaking based on how well migrants’ skills and related attributes match the needs of destination countries and on the motive for their movement.
- The match and motive framework enables policymakers to respond appropriately, and the report identifies the policies needed.
- Origin countries should actively manage migration for development.
- Destination countries can also manage migration more strategically.
- International cooperation is essential to turn migration into a strong force for development.