Health Inequalities Among Migrant Populations: Public Health Challenges and Opportunities for Equitable Healthcare

Résumé

Migration has become a defining feature of contemporary societies and has created both opportunities for social development and challenges for public health. Migrant populations often experience unequal health outcomes because of language barriers, limited health literacy, socioeconomic disadvantage, discrimination, insecure legal status, and restricted access to healthcare services (World Health Organization [WHO], 2008; International Organization for Migration [IOM], 2022).

This chapter examines health inequalities among migrants and discusses evidence-based strategies for improving equitable healthcare. It argues that reducing migrant health disparities requires more than service availability; it demands culturally responsive care, inclusive policy, interpreter support, and community-based public health action. The chapter also identifies important gaps in the literature, including limited comparative evidence across migrant groups, insufficient evaluation of interventions over time, and weak integration of migrant perspectives in health planning.