Millions Weigh Choice: Endure at Home or Migrate Illegally

The chance of dying during the first year of life in the least developed countries is ten times higher than in the more developed countries.

To be, or not to be, an undocumented migrant—that is the question for millions of men, women, and children in many less developed countries. “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them” for a better life as an undocumented migrant in a foreign land.

In many less developed countries, especially the least developed, millions endure an onerous existence marked by poverty, unemployment, low wages, violence, crime, persecution, political instability, armed conflict, poor healthcare, limited education opportunities, and increasingly, the effects of climate change.

The fundamental choice facing many is between staying in their homelands and enduring hardship or migrating—often undocumented—in search of a better future abroad. Most would prefer to stay with family and friends but see little hope for personal improvement.

Pessimism about social, economic, and political progress is reinforced by stagnant development initiatives and cuts in foreign aid. For instance, the international community adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, targeting transformative change by 2030. Current reports indicate that most SDGs are off-track, with progress stalled or reversed on key indicators. Major donor countries have also reduced or discontinued development assistance.

In contrast, populations in developed countries enjoy peace, stability, wealth, employment, quality healthcare, education, housing, public services, lower mortality, and longer life expectancy.

Although the populations of the least developed and more developed countries are roughly equal in 2025 (1.2 billion and 1.3 billion, respectively), their demographic profiles differ starkly. Infant mortality in the least developed countries is ten times higher. Life expectancy at birth is 80 years in developed countries versus 67 in the least developed.

While the population of developed countries is projected to decline slowly by the end of the century, sustained primarily by migration, the population of least developed countries is growing rapidly, projected to double within 40 years.

Developed countries also have ageing populations: by 2025, about 20% will be aged 65 or older, compared to just 4% in the least developed nations. This disparity will continue through the century.

By the end of 2024, approximately 123 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, human rights violations, and disasters. Among them were 43 million refugees and nearly 5 million stateless individuals. Climate-induced displacement is also rising, with over 200 million people potentially displaced by 2050.

With such challenges, around 16% of the world’s population—1.3 billion people—wish to emigrate. Of the roughly 305 million global immigrants in 2025, about 75 million are estimated to be undocumented.

While wealthy destination countries face demographic decline and labor shortages, public sentiment often resists immigration. This sentiment contrasts with many countries’ historical roles as immigrant destinations.

Examples of policy shifts include Spain’s 2024 amnesty for hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, Germany’s acceptance of over 1.2 million Syrian refugees, and the 1986 U.S. amnesty that legalized 2.7 million migrants.

In conclusion, millions in less developed countries face a difficult choice: remain at home in hardship or risk migrating without documentation for a chance at a better life.

As history shows, migration in search of opportunity is a fundamental human story—one that continues today.