The impact of air quality on population migration

Abstract

Based on annual panel data of OECD countries from 1995 to 2014, this paper analyzes the impact of air quality (including per capita CO2, PM2.5, and SO emissions) on the immigrant population through a panel fixed-effect model, while employing control factors such as GDP, unemployment rate, and education level. Overall, we provide evidence that air quality is a key determinant of immigration in the selected countries, and in particular the host country’s emissions have a negative impact on immigrants. Greater emissions imply fewer immigrants, while fewer emissions denote more immigrants. Our findings provide countries with a way to more accurately estimate migrant inflow and offer an idea for OECD members on how to attract immigrants via an improvement in environmental quality.