Little Nomads : Economic and Social Impacts of Migration on Children

This paper reviews the main findings from 113 studies produced between 1990 and 2023, focusing on the impact of migration on various child groups affected through the migration path, including left-behind, migrant (voluntary and forced), and native children. The findings reveal that migration influences children’s outcomes in complex and context-dependent ways, and it interacts dramatically with household demographics and public policies. Key results include the following: (i) left-behind children benefit fr om remittances but experience dramatic declines in their cognitive and non-cognitive development due to parental absence; (ii) immigrant children generally fare better than those in their origin countries but still underperform compared to native children in host countries; and (iii) the impacts of migration on native children largely depend on the adjustment of public service supply to meet increased demand. In cases where education services expand to meet rising demand, the effect on native children can be minimal or even positive. This paper emphasizes the need for more experimental or quasi-experimental research to examine the effectiveness of programs that support migrant and minor host children, and it calls for longitudinal data collection to better understand the challenges and needs of migrant children, particularly in developing countries.