| Summary: | By 2023, more than 108 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide, with children under 18 constituting 45 percent. This study examines the human development gaps between forcibly displaced migrant and host children and adolescents, focusing on cognitive and socioemotional skills and physical and mental health. The study also explores how access to services and regularization programs are correlated with these disparities using a unique and comprehensive longitudinal data set of around 2,500 Venezuelan migrant and Colombian host children and adolescents, ages 5 to 17 and living in Medellin, Colombia. The findings reveal significant developmental delays among migrant children in physical and cognitive development, but interestingly, no significant differences in socioemotional and mental health outcomes. The research underscores how the availability of public services and engagement in regularization programs are crucial for mitigating these developmental gaps
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