A group of Central American people walking along train tracks during their journey

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]  

 

Surveys of Central Americans Highlight Rule of Law Drivers of Migration 

One-Third of People in Central America’s Northern Triangle Wish to Leave 

 

WASHINGTON May 9, 2023 – About a third of people in the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), on average, would like to migrate internationally according to new research from the World Justice Project. Hondurans express the strongest desire to migrate, with 44% saying they would like to leave the country. 

The proportion of people wishing to migrate has dropped in all three countries since 2021, although the percentage of people who already have a plan to migrate has stayed relatively stable, at an average of about 10%. The new data comes from a series of nationally representative household polls conducted in the three countries within the last year, updating an earlier 2021 study.  

The top reasons for wanting to leave the country varied. Most people cited better opportunities, family reasons, and a desire to live somewhere with less violence, corruption, or harassment.  

“People don’t usually make the choice to leave their country without compelling reasons, so it is imperative to look to the root causes driving migration when considering policy responses,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the World Justice Project.  

“When it comes to rule of law, countries in the Northern Triangle have long been among the poorest performers in the Western Hemisphere,” she added. “Insecurity, corruption, and weak justice systems can result in devastating consequences for individuals as well as undermine a community’s capacity to foster economic opportunity and peace. This new data shows some pockets of meaningful improvement over the past year, but the rule of law challenges in the region remain immense and are an important push factor behind migration.” 

The following table shows how the desire to migrate internationally has changed since 2021. 

 

Data from WJP's Central America Rule of Law reports
Data from WJP's Central America Rule of Law reports 

 

Migration to the United States 

The United States remains the top international destination of choice for those wishing to migrate from Northern Triangle countries. More than 10% of those surveyed, on average, said they previously attempted to migrate to the U.S. Hondurans represented the highest percentage with 16% of people reporting they had previously attempted to enter the U.S., 12% of Salvadorans previously attempted the journey, and 9% of Guatemalans. Most attempted their migration journeys alone.  

World Justice Project data shows that people from the Northern Triangle who attempted to enter the U.S. were more likely to travel on foot (El Salvador 49%, Honduras 38%, and Guatemala 28%), leaving them susceptible to victimization along their travel route.  About 30% of people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras reported that they had to pay a bribe along their journey to the U.S. and roughly 15% were subjected to violence or abuse.  Most were victimized while in Mexico.   

The World Justice Project will release the findings in its series of Rule of Law reports for 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries on May 17, 2023. The reports expand upon data contained in the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index, which measures the rule of law in 140 countries and jurisdictions around the world.  The Index relies on nationally representative household polls and expert surveys.   

The new Latin American and Caribbean country reports contain additional insights regarding a variety of rule of law themes that are drawn from the household polls including accountability, authoritarianism, fundamental freedoms, crime victimization, criminal justice, and other topics. The reports also give a country-by-country view of rule of law trends over time. 

Explore all the key rule of law findings for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the country reports.  

title bar

Read More

title bar
A finger pushing back against blocks that say "autocracy" so that they say "democracy"

The Global Impact of US Democracy Under Fire: What Lawyers Can Do

The American Bar Association’s International Law Section recently convened a panel to discuss the global impact of U.S. Democracy under fire as part of its annual “Rule of Law Webathon.” World Justice Project Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen joined the Hon. Andre M. Davis, U.S. Circuit Judge (ret.), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Cass R. Sunstein, professor at Harvard Law School, and Scott Carlson, associate executive director of global programs for the American Bar Association in a robust discussion about how lawyers can help prevent further backsliding of democracy.  The panel was moderated by the Hon. Delissa A. Ridgway of the U.S. Court of International Trade. 

Read More
An illustration of people interacting with the justice system

What Is People-Centered Justice?

WJP Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen recently addressed the American Bar Association’s “Putting People first: People-Centered Justice at Home and Abroad” conference in Washington DC. Andersen used her remarks to define the unmet justice needs experienced by billions around the world and explain how people-centered justice can bridge the justice gap. 

Read More
Gente sale a la calle para protestar en Guayaquil, Ecuador en 2015. Crédito de la foto Michael Müller/iStock
Press release

Las encuestas sobre el Estado de Derecho en 26 países de América Latina y el Caribe captan las tendencias autoritarias y la desconfianza generalizada

WASHINGTON, 17 de mayo de 2023 - La mayoría de la población de América Latina y el Caribe consideran que su gobierno utiliza la desinformación para moldear la opinión pública a su favor.  Este es sólo un indicio del autoritarismo y de la desconfianza generalizada en los gobiernos de la región, según se desprende de 26 nuevos reportes nacionales sobre el Estado de Derecho publicados hoy por el World Justice Project (WJP).  "Estos reportes representan las voces de las personas en toda América Latina y el Caribe y en cómo perciben y experimentan el Estado de Derecho", dijo Elizabeth Andersen, Directora Ejecutiva del WJP.  "Estamos más contentos que nunca de compartir más datos de nuestras encuestas para ayudar a las diversas partes interesadas a identificar las debilidades del Estado de derecho y desarrollar políticas para hacerles frente." 

Read More
People marching in protest in central streets of Córdoba, Argentina, 2014. Credit: Andres Ruffo/iStock
Press release

Rule of Law Surveys in 26 Latin American and Caribbean Countries Capture Authoritarian Trends and Widespread Mistrust

WASHINGTON May 17, 2023 – The majority of people in Latin America and the Caribbean believe their government is using misinformation to shape public opinion in their favor.  That’s just one indication of authoritarianism and widespread mistrust of government in the region, as captured in 26 new Rule of Law country reports released today by the World Justice Project (WJP).   “These reports represent the voices of the people across Latin America and the Caribbean and how they perceive and experience the rule of law,” said WJP Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen.  “We are excited to share more of our survey data than ever before, to help diverse stakeholders pinpoint rule of law weaknesses and develop policies to address them.” 

Read More