Increasing labor migration and simultaneous aging of societies are two important
demographic developments many poor countries face. Elderly people who are left
behind may experience a decrease in welfare when their children migrate. This paper
investigates the effect of migration on various dimensions of elderly health using
unique data from Moldova, which has one of the highest emigration rates in the
world. We find positive migration effects on the body mass index (BMI), mobility
and self-reported health. No effects are found on depression and cognitive capacity.
We trace these positive outcomes to an income effect which leads to improvements
in diet and a reallocation of time use from subsistence farming to leisure and sleep.
These positive effects seem to compensate the elderly for decreasing social contact
with their migrant family members.