One in Three Latin Americans Wants to Leave: UN 2026 Report

A 2026 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report reveals that 32% of Latin Americans intend to live or work abroad within the next three years, a significant increase from 21% in 2004. Haiti leads this trend with 74.6% of its population seeking emigration, followed by Jamaica and Suriname. The report highlights a paradox where rising emigration intent coincides with growing anti-immigrant sentiment, as 51.4% of residents view incoming immigrants as harmful. This shift is driven by three main factors: economic stagnation characterized by a low-growth trap and high inequality; pervasive violence, with homicide rates three times the global average; and institutional erosion, marked by declining trust in electoral authorities and heightened beliefs in election fraud. Intra-regional migration has nearly quadrupled since 1990, reflecting a crisis of confidence in domestic governance. The UNDP diagnoses the region as democratically consolidated yet institutionally fragile, with citizens increasingly fleeing between neighboring countries rather than solely targeting traditional destinations like the United States.