# Health and Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate-Related Displacement in Bangladesh’s Chars: Causal Evidence From a Household Survey

## TL;DR

This study examines how climate-related displacement affects health and socio-economic conditions in Bangladesh chars, finding that access to services can reduce disease burden but not necessarily migration.

## Contribution

The paper provides causal evidence on the health and socio-economic impacts of climate-related displacement using a quasi-experimental design.

## Key findings

- Displaced households had lower disease burden scores than non-displaced ones after adjusting for socio-economic factors.
- Migration intensity was higher in chars with Friendship services, indicating stronger migration pressures in those areas.
- Targeted interventions can reduce disease burden but may not lower migration pressures.

## Abstract

To assess health and socio-economic impacts of climate-related displacement in North-East Bangladesh chars and examine links between non-governmental services, disease burden and migration.

We analysed a household survey of 480 women aged 15–55 from nine intervention and three comparison chars, collected between March and June 2022. Using a quasi-experimental framework and estimators of the average treatment effect, we compared displaced and non-displaced households and households in chars with and without Friendship health and education services. We constructed indices of disease burden, migration and socio-economic conditions, each scaled 0–100.

Displaced households had lower disease burden scores than non-displaced households after adjusting for socio-economic covariates. This pattern is consistent with improved access to services among some displaced groups, but may also reflect reporting differences and selection into the observed displaced population. Migration intensity was higher in chars where Friendship operates than in comparison chars, suggesting programme placement in areas with stronger migration pressures.

Climate-related displacement interacts with service access, vulnerability and selection in complex ways; targeted interventions can reduce disease burden but do not necessarily lower migration pressures.