Middle East
Amid conflict, economic hardship, and growing environmental stress, mixed migration is a defining feature of the Middle East. People move to, within, and beyond the region in search of safety, stability, and livelihoods, navigating restrictive legal systems and limited protection. Since 2024 MMC has conducted research in Syria, Türkiye, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Publications and Insights
More articles
Mixed migration in Middle East
The Middle East is simultaneously a place of origin, transit, and destination for people on the move. Millions of migrants and refugees move within and beyond the region, driven by conflict, insecurity, and economic decline. They often face restricted access to rights and protection in contexts marked by protracted crises and weak governance. Those who are denied legal status are commonly excluded from essential services such as healthcare and education, and live under the constant threat of detention or deportation.
The Gulf states host millions of low-wage migrant workers – mainly from Africa and Asia – under restrictive labour regimes that expose many to severe exploitation. Intraregional mobility, particularly between Lebanon, Türkiye, and Syria, remains significant. In Syria, many are returning from neighbouring countries despite widespread destruction, economic collapse, and ongoing insecurity. Irregular movement towards Europe persists, shaped by tighter border controls, limited legal migration pathways, and shifting smuggling networks.
Climate change is emerging as a compounding driver of mobility, intensifying vulnerabilities linked to water scarcity, livelihood loss, and environmental degradation in already fragile areas such as southern Iraq and Yemen. These pressures, combined with economic dependency on remittances and limited social protection, continue to shape the region’s deeply interdependent mobility system, one defined by both resilience and risk.
74%
of Syrians surveyed in Türkiye used a smuggler
I fell sick while I was there… I developed a condition called photosensitivity… I couldn’t be exposed to sunlight.
Egyptian man working in Saudi Arabia
Climate mobility
is often a last resort, occurring only after multiple support systems, such as livelihoods, shelter, infrastructure, and support networks, have eroded.
USD 245.5 million per year
We gave our home on mortgage to come here…
Pakistani migrant worker in Saudi Arabia
99%
of respondents in Yemen said they used a smuggler
About MMC’s work in the Middle East
MMC engages in data collection, research, analysis and policy development on mixed migration in the Middle East. Since 2024 MMC has conducted research in Syria, Türkiye, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Egypt.
Through our flagship 4Mi data collection and research, we gather firsthand insights from people on the move, their reasons for migrating, the risks they face, and their experiences across origin, transit, and destination. Combining large-scale surveys with qualitative research, we explore themes such as climate-related mobility, migration governance, and return and reintegration.
Beyond research, MMC actively contributes to dialogue on mixed migration in the Middle East. We share data-driven briefings with key stakeholders and take part in regional workshops, expert consultations, and global forums to ensure that the voices and experiences of people on the move inform policy and practice.From 2016 to mid-2020, MMC operated a dedicated regional analytical hub, previously known as the Mixed Migration Platform. MMC re-established its presence in the region in 2023. Moreover, the MMC hub in Nairobi covers the Eastern Route from Djibouti and Somalia to Yemen and onwards to countries in the Arabian Peninsula, while the MMC Hub is Asia has covered movements to and through Türkiye since 2021.
MMC activity update: April – June 2026
- Over the past quarter, MMC and DRC delivered a briefing to relevant donors and policymakers on the situation of returns to Syria, presenting joint analysis that combined MMC’s 4Mi Returns research with DRC’s protection monitoring data. The briefing covered return drivers, post-return conditions, access to services and assistance, and reintegration challenges.
- MMC is setting up its first longitudinal 4Mi Returns research in Syria, the first exercise of its kind for MMC. The research design and tools have been developed, laying the groundwork to generate longitudinal evidence on how returnees’ conditions, needs, protection risks and intentions evolve over time.
- Data collection, analysis and output production for the longitudinal 4Mi Returns research will take place in the next quarter. Results will be disseminated to key stakeholders to inform policy, advocacy and programming on returns and reintegration in Syria.
News, Events, and Projects
Virtual launch of the Mixed Migration Review 2026: “Migration in the Age of Polycrisis”
Save the Date: 10th of November, 14:00 – 15:30 CET
Events
Stay in touch with our work in the Middle East
For more information on our research in the region contact [email protected], or subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox
