Nearly a third Caribbean, Latin American residents considering leaving three years

CARIBBEAN REGION--Nearly one-third of people across Latin America and the Caribbean are considering leaving their country within the next three years, according to findings from the UNDP’s Democracy and Development Report 2026, which draws on data from the AmericasBarometer survey.

The report places migration intent across the region at 32 percent, pointing to the extent to which economic hardship, weak opportunity structures and pressure on institutions are influencing how people think about their future.

Among respondents who said they want to migrate, 58.4 percent identified lack of economic opportunity as the main reason. The finding supports one of the report’s core conclusions: migration in the region is increasingly tied to deep development challenges, rather than being driven only by individual preference or isolated personal circumstances.

The report links the desire to migrate to broader patterns of uneven development across Latin America and the Caribbean. While several countries have made progress in income and human development, that progress has not always translated into reliable economic security for households.

Using the updated World Bank poverty threshold for upper-middle-income countries of US $8.30 per day, the report points to notable levels of monetary poverty in several Caribbean countries:

Jamaica: 22.9 percent
Suriname: 19.0 percent
Belize: 19.0 percent
Grenada: 19.0 percent
Barbados: 15.5 percent
Saint Lucia: 7.8 percent

The report also looks beyond poverty alone. In most of these countries, more than 35 percent of the population falls into a wider category of economic vulnerability, meaning they live on less than US $17 per day. This group is especially at risk when faced with inflation, job loss, natural disasters, or other shocks that can quickly push families into deeper hardship.

According to the UNDP, migration should not be viewed as a separate issue. Instead, it is part of a wider relationship between democracy, development and the ability of states to respond to people’s needs.

The report notes that migration across the region is closely connected to insecurity and economic limits. It also tends to be higher where people believe governance is weak and where they see fewer chances to build a stable life at home.

At the same time, migration is not only moving outward from the region. The report notes that movement within Latin America and the Caribbean has also grown, with more people relocating from one country in the region to another instead of moving only to destinations outside the region.

The report highlights a difficult reality for Caribbean development.

On one side, migration brings important financial support through remittances. Money sent home by relatives abroad helps many households cover food, education, healthcare and other basic needs.

On the other side, continued migration, especially among young people and skilled workers, weakens the local labor force. Over time, it can also reduce the capacity of institutions, businesses and public services that depend on trained professionals and experienced workers.

This creates a cycle that is difficult to break. Limited opportunity pushes people to leave, but when people leave, countries may lose part of the human talent needed to create more opportunity at home.

The migration findings are part of a wider set of challenges identified in the report, including polarization, crime and insecurity, climate stress and uneven human development.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, the report concludes that democratic systems remain largely in place, but are under growing strain. Citizens continue to expect governments to deliver safety, opportunity and upward mobility, but many countries are struggling to meet those expectations.

In that context, migration becomes more than a personal choice. It becomes a warning sign. It shows how economic fragility, limited opportunity and institutional pressure are shaping the future of the region.

‍