Climate Migration: How Heat and Drought Are Shaping New Mobility Trends

In 2025, climate-related migration has become an increasingly relevant issue in global discussions. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), more than 30 million people were displaced in 2024 due to climate events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves. While most of these displacements are internal and temporary, long-term climate stress in some regions is beginning to influence broader migration dynamics.

South Asia and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are considered among the most affected regions. In Bangladesh and parts of India, rising sea levels and extreme heat have led to more frequent relocations, particularly in agriculture-dependent rural areas. In Sub-Saharan Africa, prolonged droughts and land degradation are reducing economic opportunities and increasing migration toward urban centers.

These trends remain complex and evolving, and long-term forecasts remain uncertain. However, environmental stress is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in migration decisions, even if rarely the sole driver. At the international level, this raises legal and policy questions, as there is no universally recognized status for “climate migrants,” and national systems differ in how they address such cases.

For Georgia, this issue is not yet a direct or large-scale concern. However, given its geographic location, relatively stable climate, and position along regional transit routes, it is worth monitoring whether interest in the country might increase in certain scenarios. While current numbers are minimal, it is possible that in the future, Georgia could become more relevant as a temporary destination or a labor market opportunity for some groups affected by climate pressures in neighboring regions. These possibilities do not imply immediate impact but may warrant attention in longer-term policy planning.