Population Movements

Current Global Rates:

Migration is at the highest rate in history: UN reported 232 million
international migrants in 2013
1990-2013: there was a 50% increase in migration
In 2013 there were 3.2% of world population living in a country
other than the one they were born in
Internal vs International Migration
UNESCO defines an international migrant as any person who lives
temporarily or permanently in a country where he or she was not born,
and has acquired significant social ties to this country.
Migration: The movement from one country to another
Internal Migration: The movement to a new home within one country
Rural to urban areas: Because of lifestyle choices/economic factors/natural
disasters
MOVEMENT of people:
Less developed to more developed countries
Less to less (because of conflict/disease/natural disaster)
More to more (job opportunities)
More developed to less developed (aid workers/medecins sans
frontiers)
Global distribution of migration
Uneven
Clustered: northern hemisphere and developed countries
USA, Canada, Germany, UK
Exceptions: Australia (southern hemisphere but high rate of
migrants), Pakistan (developing but high rate of migrants)
1. Which factor accounts for the apparent lack of relationship between
the total value of remittance and the contribution to GDP as a
percentage?
It influences another type of movement, where the remittance money is
then moved to the country of origin and it is not contributing to the GDP of
the country where they are working.

Type
Forced

Types of migration
Explanation
Forced migration can
result from a range of
circumstances. It is
usually the result of
sudden, lifethreatening events
such as
-

war
famine
persecution when
government policy
systematically
discriminates
against

Example

Effects

Palestinians to Jordan
The United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA)
estimates that there are nearly
four million Palestinian refugees
living in various countries in the
Middle East.
They fled from their homes
during the Arab-Israeli Wars of
1948 and 1967. In both wars,
Israel gained territory previously
occupied by Palestinians.

Benefits:
It is estimated that there are around one and a
half million Palestinians living in Jordan. Many
have been integrated into Jordanian society, but
some 350,000 are still living in refugee camps
scattered around the country.
Although UNWRA is responsible for health and
social services in the camps, the Jordanian
government has to meet the cost of supplying
water, electricity and roads.

Rwanda to Tanzania
In 1994 there was a bitter civil
war in Rwanda between two
ethnic groups, the majority Hutu
and the minority Tutsi.
An estimated one million people
were killed within a three month
period. Subsequently many
refugees, mainly Hutus, fled from
Rwanda to neighbouring
countries. Approximately two
million went to Zaire and half a
million to Tanzania.

Drawbacks:
Deforestation - as refugees seek wood for fuel
and for shelter.
Overgrazing - by the cattle, sheep and goats
brought by the refugees.
Water shortage - resulting from the sudden
increase in demand.
Water pollution - since no proper sanitation
system was initially available.
The competition for water and firewood led to
conflict between the refugees and the local
population.

Voluntar
y

When people
choose to move and
there are social and
economic factors
It is an active
choice
better living
conditions
access to
healthcare
access to good
education
better employment
prospects
higher wages

Migration from Eastern Europe to

the UK
When countries such as Poland,
Hungary and the Czech Republic
joined the EU in 2004, their citizens
gained the right to move to the UK
to live and work. This resulted in
large numbers of immigrants
coming to the UK in search of work
as the UK economy was booming.
Between 2004 and 2006 the UK
became the host country for
600,000 Eastern European migrants.
Many found jobs, particularly in the
construction and retailing trades,
earning up to five times as much as
they did in their home countries.
Many send money home to their
families.
As Eastern Europe developed and
the UK economy struggled from
2008 onwards, many Eastern
Europeans returned to their home
countries. This means that their
migration was temporary. Many
Eastern European immigrants in the
UK intend to return to their home
country eventually.

Benefits:
providing new trades, skills and a cheaper
workforce in the host country
new cultures food, sport and hobbies
Drawbacks:
healthcare and education services can become
strained
a large influx of migrants can lead to housing
shortages
cultural differences can lead to racial tensions
the welfare system can become strained if
migrants claim benefits

Illegal

Illegal immigration is
the migration of
people across national
borders in a way that
violates the
immigration laws of
the destination
country. Some
countries have millions
of illegal immigrants.
Immigration,
including illegal immig
ration, is
overwhelmingly
upward, from a poorer
to a richer country.

Case study: Mexico and the USA

There is a 2000 km border between
the USA and Mexico as illegal
migration is a huge problem. U.S.
Border Patrol guards the border and
tries to prevent illegal immigrants
from entering the country.

Benefits:
Enrichment of culture
Migrates work at lower wages

Drawbacks:
Impact on Mexico
The Mexican countryside has a shortage of
economically active people. Young people tend to
Illegal migration costs the USA
migrate, leaving the old and the very young.
millions of dollars for border
Racial tension
patrols and prisons.
Perception that jobs are being taken
In 2012, the Obama
Indicates weak government control
administration deported a record
Legal and illegal immigrants together send some
409,849 undocumented
$6 billion a year back to Mexico. Certain villages
immigrants, arriving at a rate of
such as Santa Ines have lost two thirds of their
about 34,000 a month.
inhabitants.
Many believe that Mexican
There is a large wage gap between the USA and
immigrants are a drain on the
Mexico. Wages remain significantly higher in the
economy. They believe that
USA for a large portion of the population. This
migrant workers keep wages low
attracts many Mexicans to the USA.
which affects Americans.
Many people find living in rural Mexico a struggle
However other people believe
because they have to survive with very little
that Mexican migrants benefit the
money. Farmland is often overworked and farms
economy by working for low
are small.
wages.
Mexican culture has also enriched
the USA border states with food,
language and music.

Internal

External

People within a
country moving to
another location within
its borders
(economic factors)

Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a predominantly rural
society. The country experiences
a very variable pattern of rainfall.
Crop failures and livestock losses
can occur when seasonal rains
fail, or when excessive rain
causes flooding.
Pastoral nomads have increasing
difficulty in finding water or
suitable grazing for their animals.
In extreme cases, as in 19841985, this results in famine and
massive migration movements
occur.

Benefits:

The act
of migration across
borders from one
country to another
(political factors)

Benefits:
Contributes to the economy and increases GDP

Syria
The Syrian crisis is an on-going
armed conflict in Syria between
forces loyal to the Ba'ath
government and those opposing
them.
In May 2014, reports estimated
the death toll had surpassed
160,000.
An estimated 2.5 million refugees
have fled the country, many to
neighbouring countries such as
Lebanon and Jordan.

Drawbacks:

Drawbacks:
A large share of Syrian refugees in Jordan are not
in camps and have fled into urban areas, beyond
the reach of direct assistance from the UN and
other donors.
Roughly 70 per cent of these refugees are
estimated to be hosted in local communities,
resulting in enormous strain on public resources.
In Mafraq, north east of Amman, the population
has grown from 90,000 to 200,000 in months,
stretching public services to the limit. Food is
more expensive, rents have tripled in some

Tempora
ry
(see
textbook
p46)

If a migrant stays
longer than 1 year,
they are classified as
temporary migrants.

cases, and competition for jobs has driven wages

down.
All these factors led to tensions with the native
community.
Affects the country of origin as losing GDP
A large influx of people puts pressure on
resources

Benefits:
Bring significant academic, economic and cultural
benefits
Eg. Contributed 17.5 billion to the Australian
economy
Drawbacks:
Finding affordable accommodation
Making friends
Becoming familiar with the local culture

RuralUrban
(see p
489textbo
ok)

The movement of
people from the
countryside to a city.
Over 50% od world
population lives in
urban areas

Dhaka, Bangladesh
Causes formation of informal
settlements (slum)
Dhaka is one of the densely
populated cities in the world
15 millions live in shanty towns

Benefits:
breaks poverty cycle
increases economy of the region
Drawbacks:
Slums are often close to railway lines
Flood prone, polluted, subject to landslides
Lack of infrastructure
Overcrowding
Shift in demographic composition

Push and Pull Factors

Push: a force that drives people away from a place
Pull: a force that draws people to migrate to a place
Push Factors

MexicoUSA

Unemployment
Poverty
Famine
Drought or flood leaves
subsistence farmers without
food
Political religious and social
persecution
War/conflict
Lack of services
Disasters
Isolation and loneliness
Adverse climate

Pull Factors

Potential for employment

Greater wealth/higher
standard of living
Fertile land
Adequate and reliable food
supplies
Better safety and tolerance
Political security
A range of services provided
Less hazardous situation
Access to family and friends
Less extreme climate

Description

Push Factors

Pull Factors

Illegal
migration

High crime rate: homicide

rate 10-14 every 100,00
ppl/47500 ppl killed in drug
related crimes
Poverty: 47% of population
is living under poverty line
High unemployment rate
Poor land quality
Extreme temperatures
Severely undeveloped
infrastructure
Low literacy rate

Somalia

Forced
migration

War
Natural disasters: drought

US is a more stable place

to live
Lower crime rates
Better economic
prospects
Ability to support family
Less extreme climate
Offers better living
standards
Existing migrant
communities
Better educational
opportunities allowing
them to gain higher
paying jobs
No conflict in Australia

China

Rural-urban
migration

Poor living conditions: lack

of running water
Low income jobs: farming
Poor climate: inadequate
rainfall
Unemployment
Drought

Reliable electricity supply

Higher income jobs

Impacts of population movements

Positive impacts
Negative impacts
Adds to the economic potential
Establishment of informal
of the host area
settlements eg. Dhaka
Bangladesh, Mumbai India
Living standards generally
Overcrowding
improve
Prone to natural disasters
High risk of fires
Easy spread of disease
The holder generations are left
behind
Case studies:
Growth of Australian mining towns
Factors that have led to population movement

Effect on population
House and land value increase

Effect on environment
New infrastructure needs to be developed for the incoming miners
and their families without reducing the liveability
Chinas manufacturing boom
Net migration: the number of people arriving in a country minus those
departing from that country over a 12 months period.
Benefits and disadvantages of labour migration
Donor country
BENEFITS
DISADVANTAGES
Better support for families at
Families separated
home
Young children brought out by
Their remittance money
extended family
provides an important source of A loss of young and
funds (436 billion for developing
economically active people in
countries, 583 billion for
the region
developed)
Dramatic effect on rural
communities enabling them to
purchase food and other
essentials but also improve
their standards of living
Reduces poverty
Host country

BENEFITS
Boosts supply of low cost labour
Services can be maintained
though filling vacant jobs
Cheaper migrant labour reduces
the costs in industries including
agriculture, manufacturing and
construction
Contribute to economic growth
by spending money on food and
services

DISADVANTAGES
Face language difficulties
Place pressure on housing and
services
Locals fear losing their jobs to
incoming migrants
Trapped in unskilled jobs with
no prospects to develop their
careers
Racial and ethnic tensions: for
example, there was large scale
migration of workers from
Turkey to Germany in the
1960s-1970s, most of which
worked in the car industry.
Although they were the largest
group of non-citizens in
Germany, it was still difficult for
them to obtain citizenship until
2000 when new citizenship laws
took effect.