In 2019, the IOM Regional Data Hub (RDH) for the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) launched a multistage research project aimed at better understanding the experiences, decision-making, perceptions and expectations of young Ethiopians along the Eastern Route regarding their migration projects. The project aims to investigate the nexus between decision-making, migrant expectations and realities on the ground by interviewing migrants leaving the Horn towards the Arab Peninsula. Data collected in Obock, Djibouti and Bossaso, Puntland during the first two phases of the research have been compared to context information and relevant literature to produce a series of brief thematic reports that provide in-depth and focused insights on specific indicators, population sub-groups and selected hotspot areas of migration.