Migration is often seen as a resource optimization strategy at the individual and family levels. These strategies are meant to respond to a social and economic situation perceived as difficult, unsatisfactory or even precarious. The migratory experience allows to envisage a better future, new socio-economic opportunities and the possibility to better meet the needs of one’s family. From this perspective, the funding of the migration project through financial loans often constitutes an investment, “a rational choice”, the benefits of which are expected both for the individual migrant and for the family and communities supporting the migration project.

Reports on the socio-demographic profiles of returning communities , published by IOM in 2018, revealed that the level of debt of returning migrants was higher than that of non-migrant populations and had a significant impact on reintegration processes. In some contexts, years of income are needed to pay off debts. This situation creates additional pressure if the migratory experience fails and the individual returns to their country of origin.

The economic resources of the returning migrant are then often directed towards the repayment of loans, limiting their investment capacities. Within the framework of the programme “Security, Support and Solutions along the Central Mediterranean Route”, funded by the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DFID), IOM therefore decided to conduct six national studies aiming to:

• Draw up the profile of returning migrants who are in debt;

• Understand the mechanisms by which returning migrants contracted debts, which actors are involved in the process, and at which stages of their journey along the migratory routes; but also,

• Assess the impact of indebtedness on the reintegration process of returning migrants in their communities of origin.

Thus, 2,483 assisted returning migrants from Mali (462), Guinea (505), Côte d’Ivoire (360), Burkina Faso (388), Senegal (358) and The Gambia (410) were surveyed. Exploratory focus groups and interviews with key informants enriched the analyses, leading to the following results