Haitian International Migration: Transforming Crisis-Driven Mobility into Development Potential

The report, prepared by the World Bank with the Interuniversity Institute for Research and Development (INURED) and issued on 30 September 2026, examines emigration trends and their human capital consequences, migration drivers and routes by destination, the role of remittances, return migration and internal displacement.

The diaspora grew from about 1.15 million people in 2010 to more than 2 million in 2024, a 74 percent increase, and is equal to about 16 percent of the national population. Destinations have diversified beyond the United States, Canada, France and the Dominican Republic to Brazil, Chile and Mexico, often through irregular land routes and temporary labor programs. An estimated 80 to 84 percent of tertiary-educated Haitians live abroad, and Haiti has 6.38 health professionals per 10,000 people. Many skilled migrants work in low-skill jobs in destination countries.

Remittances rose from under USD 1 billion in the early 2000s to nearly USD 4 billion in 2021 and were about 18.9 percent of GDP in 2023, more than official development assistance, exports and foreign direct investment combined. Between 70 and 84 percent come from the United States, and transfer costs run from 5 to 11 percent by corridor. The Dominican Republic recorded more than 216,000 deportations in 2023 and about 119,000 repatriations from January to April 2025. More than 1.3 million Haitians were internally displaced by gang violence by mid-2025.

The recommendations are phased by time horizon. Short-term measures include reviewing the 2015 to 2030 National Migration Policy, which has never been evaluated, and expanding funding and training for the National Migration Office (ONM) and the Ministry for Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE). Later measures cover migration data systems, labor migration agreements, protection of migrants' rights, reintegration of returnees and diaspora skills and investment programs.