Migration, remittances and development: The critical nexus in the Middle East and North Africa

Migration and remittances sent home by workers abroad are crucial to economies around the world, however, the impact of these phenomena have been particularly prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa. There is a lack of accurate data on the amount of remittances being sent to these regions, as less than a fourth of countries record full remittance data and official figures often greatly underestimate the amount, as they do not include monies transferred through informal channels. Recent studies have show that these remittances have a significant positive effect on the development of region, because “they tend to reduce poverty and to get invested in education, health and new entrepreneurial activities.”