In search of climate migrants: a journey from crisis to opportunity

Hydrometeorological disasters alone do not explain human migration; rather, migration is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon shaped by a person’s geographical, social, economic, demographic, cultural, and institutional conditions, all of which influence the decision to move or stay. There is also ongoing academic debate over whether migration can be regarded as an effective adaptation strategy. To address these research gaps, this study develops a novel theoretical and methodological framework for identifying and distinguishing climate migrants and climate non-migrants, and for comparing their wealth quintiles and standard of living. Bangladesh, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, was selected as the case study. This empirical and quantitative analysis uses national-scale population and housing sample survey data. Geospatial and statistical data were combined for multi-hazard risk mapping, wealth quintile analysis, and the development of a weight-based standard of living index. The results show that most climate migrants belong to the richest wealth quintile, suggesting that migration has enabled better economic opportunities, housing, and access to services. In contrast, climate non-migrants experience more uniform but generally lower living standards in rural, climate-affected areas. This study provides new evidence that challenges the conventional assumption that climate migrants are uniformly poor and vulnerable.