Reintegration Following Return to the Country of Origin: DEval Evaluation Recommends a Reorientation of Support

Bonn, 17 March 2026 – The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports migrants who return to their countries of origin in rebuilding their economic and social lives. The aim is to ensure that returning results in sustainable reintegration. The German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) assessed the efficacy of the BMZ’s measures, with the findings showing that these support services barely, or at best partially, improved returnees’ economic and social participation in their countries of origin. DEval therefore recommends a reorientation of the BMZ’s reintegration support.

Against the backdrop of persistently high levels of migration to Europe and Germany, migration remains a prominent topic in political debates. In Germany, the large number of individuals required to leave the country has contributed to ongoing discussions about expanding return programmes as a migration policy tool.

Germany has committed to a return policy that respects human dignity as part of the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact for Migration. In 2017, the responsible ministries jointly established an approach to promote the departure of people in Germany without the intention or
prospect of staying, and to support returnees with reintegration in their countries of origin. Responsibility for implementing reintegration support has since rested with the BMZ.

The measures are intended to help returnees achieve economic and social reintegration in their countries of origin – thereby turning return into sustainable reintegration. By establishing counselling centres in partner countries and providing support at both individual and institutional levels, the BMZ has broken new ground in this politically and operationally demanding field of action.

Limited progress in achieving economic and social participation for returnees

DEval examined whether the support services improve the economic and social participation of returnees. Economic participation refers to being in employment and earning an income sufficient to cover everyday needs; social participation refers to psychological stability and acceptance within one’s social environment.

Findings at the individual level show that the measures led to improved economic participation for only a few of the returnees surveyed. While most respondents received support for starting a business, only around a seventh of those supported managed to establish a profitable enterprise with the help of these services. In most cases, these established businesses were never profitable and often failed within the first six months. More than two-thirds of the returnees surveyed stated that they were barely – or else not at all – able to earn a living independently.

Furthermore, only around a third of respondents could be considered to have achieved social participation, meaning they had stable personal relationships and reported being in a good psychological state at the time of the interview.

The evaluation shows that the objective of turning return into sustainable reintegration while addressing the needs of particularly vulnerable groups was barely, or at best partially, achieved. This limited efficacy is also attributable to shortcomings in the planning and implementation of the measures.

DEval therefore recommends a fundamental adjustment of support for sustainable reintegration. To improve the prospects for sustainable reintegration among returnees, the BMZ should align its support with the overall reintegration process. In concrete terms, the BMZ should commission long-term support for returnees lasting at least a year. The BMZ should also define economic and social participation as objectives of equal importance.

Further expansion of cooperation with employment agencies in partner countries

DEval also examined the effectiveness of cooperation with state stakeholders on the partner side, particularly employment agencies. Measures such as training for counsellors at national employment agencies were intended to improve counselling services in the partner countries.

The findings from the case studies show that the measures helped strengthen national institutions involved in the reintegration of returnees. This enabled counsellors in the national employment agencies in Ghana and Morocco, for example, to develop greater awareness of the needs of returnees; however, the success of the measures was limited by two factors.

Firstly, the often tense labour market situations in the partner countries restricted employment. Strengthening the counselling infrastructure improved the condition of state employment agencies, but this did not directly translate into improved employment prospects for returnees.

Secondly, success depends on the degree of ownership by the partner government. As the findings from the case studies illustrate, while partner governments generally supported the BMZ’s reintegration measures, differing priorities meant that full ownership by the partner side was not achieved. It also remains unlikely that state partners will take over reintegration support services themselves in future.

Despite these limitations at the political level, DEval recommends continuing cooperation with employment agencies in partner countries. For example, training should be provided to raise awareness among national institutions and authorities in partner countries of the specific needs of returnees. Furthermore, examples of good practice could serve as a reference for adapting the measures in countries where implementation is currently not progressing as expected.

Data sources

The evaluation draws on case studies in Ghana, Morocco and Northern Iraq, as well as cross-case data from online surveys, expert interviews, monitoring data, and both project-related and external studies. The period under examination runs from July 2017 to July 2023.

The full report, “Return and Reintegration – Evaluation of the BMZ’s support to promote sustainable reintegration of returnees from Germany in their countries of origin” is available on the DEval website.

The German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) is mandated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to conduct independent and transparent analyses and evaluations of German development cooperation measures. Through its strategic and scientifically grounded evaluations, the institute helps to improve the evidence base for effectively shaping this policy area and makes the results of development cooperation more transparent. The institute is one of the Federal Government’s departmental research institutions and is led by Professor Dr Jörg Faust.