International migration is on the rise. By one estimate, the number of international migrants worldwide reached 244 million in 2015, up from 222 million in 2010, and 173 million in 2000. Immigration does not merely increase the size of the population in the destination country; it also increases demographic and cultural diversity, particularly when immigrants have come from very distant countries.
Why Mass Migration Is Good for Long-Term Economic Growth
Diversity makes countries richer, especially developing ones.
April 18, 2017
Summary.
Is the diversity created by mass migration a good thing for economic growth? To find out, a pair of researchers mobilized a large-scale dataset on international migration between 1960 and 2010. For each country at every census round, they measured the likelihood that two individuals randomly selected from the population were born in different countries. The findings suggest that cultural heterogeneity has a discernible positive impact on the growth rate of GDP over long time periods. Developing economies are even more likely to experience a sharper increase in GDP growth rate after their populations become more diverse.