Global patterns of communicable disease risk and prevention in migrant populations: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

To identify key risk factors, disease patterns, and prevention interventions for communicable diseases among migrant populations. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched multiple databases for studies published 1990-2024. Random effects models estimated pooled odds ratios from 30 studies with quantitative data. Among 14,250 participants, migration status doubled communicable disease odds (OR=2.161, 95% CI 1.780–2.622, p<0.001; I 2 =58.7%). Regional variation was significant for the Gulf Cooperation Council (OR=2.89, 95% CI 2.34–3.57) and Sub-Saharan Africa (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.45–2.41), but not for Europe (OR=1.34, 95% CI 0.98–1.83). Forced migration showed highest risk (OR=2.87, 95% CI 2.23–3.69) versus economic migration (OR=1.89, 95% CI 1.54–2.32). Migration constitutes a fundamental social determinant of communicable disease risk. Downstream interventions (treatment 86.8%, surveillance 78.1%) vastly outnumber upstream approaches (community-based 2.6%, policy 0.9%), representing a critical implementation gap. Context-specific, migration-aware health systems addressing structural determinants are urgently needed. • Systematic review of 89 studies reveals migrant workers face doubled disease risk • Occupational exposure (83%) and endemic migration (75%) are primary risk factors • Strong correlation between geographic origin and occupational hazards (r=0.72) • Downstream interventions dominate (86%) while upstream approaches neglected (3%) • Gulf region shows highest vulnerability requiring targeted policy interventions