A strong evidence base has documented the many ways in which international migration can bring large development benefits for individuals and communities. Flagship reports and analytical work from international organizations like the World Bank have long argued for the need for countries to actively manage migration for development. How much is this evidence and rhetoric reflected in what money actually gets spent on? This paper analyzes the World Bank portfolio of projects financed between 2014 and 2024 to see how much money is being spent on activities related to international migration and refugees in developing countries, where it is being spent, and what it is being used for. It identifies 160 operational projects, totaling $15 billion for components related to migration, refugees and forced displacement. However, this funding is highly concentrated in a small number of countries, and over 70 percent of World Bank clients have not received a single dollar in financing for migration in a decade. Financing is almost entirely driven by projects to support refugees and displaced populations, with funding for facilitating or increasing benefits from economic (labor) migration averaging only $11 million per year. Funding on refugees goes well beyond immediate humanitarian support, with much of the focus on how to improve development outcomes for them through education, housing, and labor market inclusion. Examination of the small number of projects that do relate to economic migration show efforts to develop new migration corridors, reintegrate returnees, as well as a role for improving the technical and vocational training systems of sending countries to better align and certify skills with overseas demand. These cases also provide a demonstration effect of how money can be spent proactively to enhance the benefits of international mobility. The paper concludes by discussing the barriers to more project lending and potential opportunities.
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Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) | https://reproducibility.worldbank.org |
Paper exhibits were reproduced in a computer with the following specifications:
The code takes approximately 5 minutes to run.
All data sources are publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.
Author | Affiliation | |
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David McKenzie | World Bank | dmckenzie@worldbank.org |
Charlotte Müller | Independent Consultant | charlotte.j.mueller@gmail.com |
Pablo Acosta | World Bank | pacosta@worldbank.org |
2025-05-28
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World | WLD |
The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.
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Modified BSD3 | https://opensource.org/license/bsd-3-clause/ |
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David McKenzie | World Bank | dmckenzie@worldbank.org |
Reproducibility WBG | World Bank | reproducibility@worldbank.org |
Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
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Reproducibility WBG | DIME | World Bank - Development Impact Department | Verification and preparation of metadata |
2025-05-28
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