Are migrants healthier or less healthy than the host population?

Both can be true at different times. The "healthy migrant effect" means migrants often arrive healthier than the local population — migration requires physical capacity and financial resources, so the very ill are less likely to move. But this health advantage erodes with time due to precarious living conditions, poor working environments, exclusion from health systems and the chronic stress of discrimination. This convergence is one of the most consistent findings in migrant health epidemiology, documented by the UCL–Lancet Commission (2018, updated 2026).

Do migrants have the right to health care?

Yes, under international human rights law. The WHO Constitution establishes health as a fundamental right for all persons. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) obligates states to ensure access for everyone in their territory regardless of nationality. Objective 15 of the UN Global Compact for Migration commits states to provide migrants access to basic services regardless of status. In practice, legal entitlement and actual access differ enormously by country and migration status.

What is the difference between a refugee, an asylum-seeker and a migrant?

A refugee is a person who has fled persecution and is protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention. An asylum-seeker is someone whose claim for refugee status is under review — they are not yet a refugee. A migrant is a broader term covering anyone who moves between countries, including for work or study, without the specific legal protection refugees receive. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been forced from their homes but remain in their own country. These distinctions directly determine health entitlements in most countries.

What are the main health risks faced by migrants and refugees?

Key risks include: mental health disorders — especially PTSD, depression and anxiety among refugees and asylum-seekers; occupational hazards for labour migrants (physical injury, chemical exposure, heat stress, long hours); infectious disease risk in crowded reception conditions with inadequate sanitation; maternal and child health gaps; delayed care-seeking due to fear of deportation, cost or language barriers; and difficulty maintaining treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension across health system transitions.

Does migration spread infectious diseases?

No — this is a persistent and harmful myth. The ECDC and WHO have consistently stated that transmission risk arises from crowded reception conditions, poor sanitation and gaps in vaccination coverage — not from movement itself. Migrants often have lower rates of lifestyle-related diseases than the host population on arrival. Effective host-country screening and vaccination programmes protect everyone, migrant and non-migrant alike.

What is the "healthy migrant effect" and why does it matter?

The healthy migrant effect is a well-documented epidemiological phenomenon: voluntary migrants tend to be healthier at arrival than both the host population and those who stayed behind, because migration requires physical fitness, financial capacity and social capital — a form of positive self-selection. This health advantage diminishes — "converges" — over years of residence due to acculturation, stress, poor conditions and marginalisation from health care. Understanding this effect is critical for designing health systems that catch the convergence before it becomes costly.

What do WHO, UNHCR and IOM each do on migrant health?

WHO leads the international normative agenda through its Health and Migration Programme, publishes the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM series), and monitors WHA70.15 implementation. UNHCR ensures access to essential health care in refugee settings and advocates for inclusion in national health systems. IOM provides direct health services at migration points worldwide, manages health assessments for resettlement, and publishes the annual World Migration Report. In 2025, the IFRC reached 1.17 million people on the move through 143 Humanitarian Service Points (IFRC Annual Report 2025).

What role does mental health play in migrant and refugee health?

Mental health is one of the most significant and most underfunded dimensions of migrant health. Refugees and asylum-seekers have substantially higher rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety than the general population, driven by pre-migration trauma, the dangers of transit, and the chronic stress of legal uncertainty, poverty and social exclusion in host countries. Unaccompanied children and women who have experienced sexual violence face the highest risk. Mental health services are rarely available in migrants' languages and are systematically excluded from minimum health packages in many countries.

How does immigration status affect access to health care?

Legal status is among the strongest social determinants of health-care access for migrants. Undocumented migrants face the greatest barriers: fear of deportation, lack of insurance and inability to use their real name. Asylum-seekers often have no access to public health insurance during the months or years of their determination process. Even documented migrants face bureaucratic barriers, language barriers and discrimination within health facilities. Studies consistently show migrants delay care-seeking, often presenting at emergency departments with conditions that should have been managed in primary care — at far greater cost to health systems.

How does climate change affect migration and health?

Climate change is now a major driver of displacement — extreme weather events, sea-level rise, drought and food insecurity force people to move without any legal pathway as "climate refugees" (there is no such category under the 1951 Convention). WHO estimates climate change will cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, disproportionately in regions with the highest displacement rates. Climate migrants face all the health vulnerabilities of displaced populations plus the specific risks of heat-related illness, water insecurity and abrupt loss of their established health care relationships.

What is the link between labour migration and occupational health?

Labour migrants — particularly in agriculture, construction, domestic work and manufacturing — face elevated occupational health risks: physical injury, chemical exposure, heat stress, long working hours and inadequate rest periods. Many work in sectors with poor regulatory oversight and do not report injuries due to job insecurity and fear related to immigration status. The ILO estimates migrant workers account for a disproportionate share of work-related illness and injury globally. ILO Conventions C097 and C143 establish the rights of migrant workers to safe working conditions and equal treatment with nationals.

What is the GMJ's contribution to migration and health?

The Georgian Medical Journal has maintained dedicated migration and health programmes reflecting Georgia's position as both a country of significant emigration (primarily to the EU and Russia) and a transit country for movements towards Europe. The GMJ Health and Migration Knowledge Hub consolidates peer-reviewed evidence, WHO and IOM guidance, and regional data relevant to the South Caucasus. The editorial team participated directly in the WHO Health and Migration Programme during the Geneva phase, and GMJ News tracks WHO, ECDC, IOM, UNHCR and NGO developments continuously.

Home › Topics › Migration & Health

Migration & Health

GMJ News knowledge hub · last reviewed September 2026 · Georgian Medical Journal

Summary Statistics Glossary GMJ news FAQ Documents Organizations Research

An estimated 1 billion people are on the move worldwide — including some 281 million international migrants and tens of millions forcibly displaced. The WHO World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants (2022) documented systematically worse health outcomes and access barriers for people on the move, and the WHO Global Action Plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants (WHA 70.15) commits member states to migrant-inclusive health systems. Migration and health is a core research field of the Georgian Medical Journal — explore the Health and Migration Knowledge Hub and GMJ's peer-reviewed work in this area.

Key messages

Evidence

The "healthy migrant effect" means migrants often arrive healthier than locals — but health converges downward through exclusion and precarity.

Rights

The WHO Constitution, ICESCR and UN Global Compact establish the right to health for everyone regardless of immigration status.

Safety

Migration does not spread disease. Crowded reception conditions and vaccination gaps create risk — host-country screening protects everyone.

Economics

Migrant-inclusive health systems reduce costs. Exclusion creates larger, more expensive problems — emergency presentations instead of primary care.

Mental health

Refugees and asylum-seekers have substantially higher rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety — driven by trauma and chronic legal uncertainty.

Climate

Climate change is now a major driver of displacement. Climate migrants face all health vulnerabilities of displaced populations plus heat and water insecurity.

Key statistics

people on the move

IOM 2024

281M

international migrants

UN DESA 2024

117M

forcibly displaced

UNHCR 2024

50M

children displaced

UNICEF 2024

3.6%

of world population

UN DESA 2024

1.17M

reached by IFRC 2025

IFRC 2025

Forcibly displaced persons worldwide 2018–2024 (millions) — UNHCR Global Trends

Source: UNHCR Global Trends report (annual) — refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs.

Glossary of key terms

Refugee
1951 Refugee ConventionA person who has fled their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group (UNHCR).

Asylum-seeker
UNHCRA person who has applied for refugee status whose claim is under review. An asylum-seeker is not yet a refugee, but may not be deported while their case is pending.

IDP
Guiding Principles 1998Internally displaced person — someone forced to flee their home but who remains within their own country. IDPs are not protected by the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Labour migrant
ILO C097 / C143A person moving to another country to take up employment, either with a work permit (documented) or without (undocumented). Covered by ILO Conventions C097 and C143.

Stateless person
UNHCRSomeone not considered a national by any state. Statelessness creates severe barriers to health care, education and legal recognition.

Climate migrant
IOM / IPCCA person displaced by the effects of climate change — extreme weather, sea-level rise, drought or food insecurity. Has no specific legal protection under international refugee law.

Latest GMJ coverage

Immigration stress and HIV care: structural barriers found in community study

04/08/2026

IOM calls for expanded regular migration pathways to reduce irregular flows and enhance development

07/07/2026

When People Move, Health Systems Change: Migration as a Structural Force

28/08/2026

GMJ Launches a Permanent Health & Migration Platform

28/08/2026

UN Rights Chief Demands Independent Investigation into US Immigration Detention Deaths

21/08/2026

Microwave Plastic Safety: What the Science Actually Shows About Migration Into Food

18/07/2026

Frequently asked questions 12 Q&A — structured for Google featured snippets and AI discovery

Knowledge hub: guidelines, conventions and reports

🧭 Guidelines

WHOGlobal competency standards for health workers serving refugees and migrantsOriginal ↗

ECDCPublic health guidance on screening and vaccination for infectious diseases in newly arrived migrants (EU/EEA)Original ↗

CDCImmigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Health — technical instructions and guidanceOriginal ↗

⚖️ Conventions, resolutions & legal instruments

WHOGlobal action plan: promoting the health of refugees and migrants (WHA70.15)Original ↗

UNGlobal Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018) — incl. Objective 15: access to basic servicesOriginal ↗

WHOInternational Health Regulations (2005) — cross-border health frameworkOriginal ↗

ILOLabour migration — international labour standards and policyOriginal ↗

📊 Annual & flagship reports

WHOWorld report on the health of refugees and migrants (2022)Original ↗

IOMWorld Migration Report (annual flagship series)Original ↗

📄 Reports & programme documents

WHOHealth and Migration Programme — publications and evidence reviewsOriginal ↗

IOMMigration Health Division — reports and resourcesOriginal ↗

UNHCRPublic health in refugee settings — policy and reportsOriginal ↗

UNICEFChild migration and displacement — data and reportsOriginal ↗

🎓 GMJ resources

GMJHealth and Migration Knowledge Hub — Georgian Medical JournalOriginal ↗

GMJMigration Knowledge Hub — Georgian Medical JournalOriginal ↗

Landmark research — every PMID/DOI verified

Abubakar I, et al. The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the move. Lancet 2018;392:2606–54. PubMed →
Abubakar I, et al. The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: review of the state of progress. Lancet 2026;407:2554–76. Full text →
Wickramage K, et al. Migration and health: a global public health research priority. BMC Public Health 2018;18:987. PubMed →

🔎 Browse all research in PubMed →