Nearly Half of Africans Consider Leaving Home as Jobs Crisis Deepens

The aspiration to leave Africa is becoming less a story of adventure than one of economic necessity. A sweeping new Afrobarometer survey across 38 African countries suggests that persistent unemployment, weak economic opportunities and deteriorating living standards are driving an unprecedented surge in migration ambitions, raising fresh concerns over the continent’s ability to retain its most productive workforce.

The findings, contained in Afrobarometer’s 2026 flagship report, Beyond Borders: Citizen Perspectives on a Shifting Global Order, reveal that 45% of Africans have considered moving to another country, including 25% who say they have thought “a lot” about emigrating. That marks a significant increase from the 18% recorded between 2016 and 2018 among countries where comparable data exist, underscoring how economic frustrations have intensified over the past decade.

For policymakers, the figures expose an uncomfortable reality. Despite renewed promises of economic transformation, industrialisation and job creation across much of the continent, many citizens—particularly the young—remain unconvinced that their futures lie at home.

West Africa has emerged as the region with the strongest migration aspirations. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they had seriously considered leaving their countries, reflecting a combination of high youth unemployment, inflationary pressures and limited formal employment opportunities.

Among individual countries, The Gambia (53%) and Liberia (51%) recorded the highest proportions of citizens who had seriously contemplated migration. They were followed by Guinea-Bissau (49%) and Ghana (44%), placing Ghana among the countries experiencing the continent’s strongest outward migration ambitions despite recent macroeconomic stabilisation efforts.

The survey suggests that migration is driven overwhelmingly by economics rather than politics.

Among Africans who have considered emigrating, 50% cited the search for employment as their primary motivation, while 29% blamed poverty or broader economic hardship. Other reasons featured only marginally, with education accounting for 4%, political considerations 3%, and travel opportunities another 3%.

Those figures reinforce the view that Africa’s migration challenge is fundamentally a labour-market issue. While political instability and conflict remain important drivers in specific countries, the continent’s broader migration story increasingly reflects the inability of many economies to generate sufficient high-quality jobs for rapidly expanding populations.

Perhaps the report’s most striking finding concerns who wants to leave.

Rather than the poorest or least educated, migration aspirations are concentrated among young and educated Africans—the very demographic regarded as essential to future economic growth.

Citizens aged between 18 and 35 years were nearly three times more likely than those aged above 55 years to have seriously considered migration. Thirty-two percent of younger respondents expressed strong interest in leaving compared with only 11% of older citizens.

In Ghana, the numbers are even more striking. According to the report, 55% of young Ghanaians have seriously considered emigrating, highlighting the depth of frustration among a generation facing limited employment opportunities despite expanding educational attainment.

Education also appears to strengthen migration ambitions rather than reduce them.

Among respondents with higher levels of education, 31% reported serious intentions to migrate, compared with 18% among the least educated. The pattern reflects a growing mismatch between educational expansion and labour-market absorption across many African economies, where graduates often struggle to find employment matching their qualifications.

For governments investing heavily in education and skills development, the findings raise concerns that public investment in human capital could increasingly benefit destination economies rather than domestic industries.

The survey also reveals changing migration preferences.

While intra-African migration remains substantial in practice, fewer prospective migrants now see neighbouring African countries as their preferred destination.

The share of respondents favouring migration to another African country fell from 36% during 2016–2018 to 26% today.

Instead, North America has gained appeal, with preference rising from 21% to 28%, while Europe remains highly attractive, increasing modestly from 27% to 29%.

The shift may partly reflect perceptions of stronger labour markets, higher wages and greater long-term opportunities outside the continent, even as immigration policies in Europe and North America become increasingly restrictive.

Afrobarometer nevertheless cautions that aspirations differ significantly from actual migration outcomes.

Although many Africans express a desire to relocate outside the continent, official migration data continue to show that most African migrants ultimately move to other African countries, largely because geographical proximity, lower migration costs and regional mobility arrangements make such moves more achievable.

The report also uncovers an interesting contradiction in public attitudes towards immigration itself.

While 77% of Africans said they would welcome—or would not mind having—immigrants as neighbours, enthusiasm falls sharply when migration is linked to labour markets and humanitarian admissions.

Sixty-four percent of respondents preferred admitting fewer or no foreign job seekers, while 70% wanted fewer or no refugees accepted into their countries.

The contrast suggests that although many Africans support social tolerance, economic insecurity continues to shape attitudes towards competition for jobs, public services and limited national resources.

Beyond migration itself, the findings provide another measure of public confidence—or the lack of it—in national economic prospects.

When citizens increasingly believe their future lies abroad, governments face not only the immediate challenge of population movement but also longer-term risks associated with human capital flight, reduced entrepreneurial activity and declining domestic confidence.

The survey arrives at a critical moment for African policymakers pursuing ambitious initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), industrialisation strategies and youth employment programmes aimed at transforming the continent into a more attractive destination for investment and talent.

Yet without sustained job creation, stronger institutions and rising living standards, those initiatives may struggle to reverse migration ambitions that appear increasingly rooted in economic realities.

As Afrobarometer concludes, “These findings confirm the familiar story that it is the youngest and most educated who are most likely to depart.”

The organisation argues that migration should not simply be viewed as a border management issue but as a reflection of broader governance and economic performance.

“Citizens leave when institutions fail them,” the report stated, adding that creating sustainable employment opportunities and improving living conditions will ultimately determine whether Africa retains its talent or continues exporting it to economies offering greater opportunity.

For governments across the continent, the message is difficult to ignore. The competition for Africa’s future is increasingly not just about attracting foreign investment—but persuading its own young people that their greatest opportunities still lie at home.