91.1% of Guatemalans Migrate to the U.S. for Economic Reasons – Fewer than 1% leave because of violence or gangs

Last month, the Guatemalan government participated in the “Encounter with Migrants 2017”, an event that aims to bring the Guatemalan migrant community in the United States and Guatemalan entrepreneurs closer together in order to promote investment, boost productivity of remittances, and curb emigration. During the event, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Martínez noted that the majority of Guatemalans migrate to the United States for better economic opportunities.

According to the “Survey on International Migration of Guatemalans and Remittances 2016”, by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 91.1 percent of Guatemalans emigrate to the United States for economic reasons. Per the report, 56.8 percent of Guatemalans migrate in search of better employment, 32.9 percent to improve their income, 1.2 percent to buy a home, and 0.1 percent to open businesses. (These add up to only 91 percent, though the survey report says 91.1 percent, presumably due to rounding.) Moreover, IOM found that 3.7 percent migrate for family reunification. Meanwhile, only 0.3 percent migrate due to violence; 0.2 percent migrate as a result of extortion; and 0.2 migrate because of gang problems. Read the rest here.