A Human Development Index by Internal Migrational Status

Abstract

Domestic migration constitutes the largest flow of people in developing countries and is among the most important opportunities for people to improve their human development. We calculate the Human Development Index by internal migrational status to assess the differences between the levels of human development of internal migrants compared with non-migrants. An empirical illustration for a sample of 16 low-income countries shows that, overall, internal migrants achieve a slightly higher level of human development than non-migrants. These improvements are largely due to higher incomes of migrants while differentials in education and health are smaller.