International & Internal Migration

Migration occurs at two principal scales—international migration and internal migration.

International Migration

A permanent move from one country to another is international migration. International migration is further divided into two types:

• Voluntary migration means that the migrant has chosen to move, usually for economic reasons, though sometimes for environmental reasons.

• Forced migration means that the migrant has been compelled to move by political or environmental factors.

The distinction between forced and voluntary migration is not clear-cut. Those who migrate for economic reasons may be motivated to seek a better life for their families through improved access to jobs and food, but they have not been explicitly compelled to migrate by the violent actions of other people.

About 9 percent of the world’s people are international migrants—that is, they currently live in countries other than the ones in which they were born. At a global scale, the three largest flows of migrants are (Figures 3-5 and 3-6):

• From Latin America to North America.

• From Asia to Europe.

• From Asia to North America.

Global Migration Patterns, 2017

The global pattern reflects the importance of migration from developing countries to developed countries. Asia, Latin America, and Africa have net out-migration, and North America, Europe, and South Pacific have net in-migration. Migrants from countries with relatively low incomes and high natural increase rates head for relatively wealthy countries, where job prospects are brighter.

Internal Migration

A permanent move within the same country is internal migration. Consistent with the distance-decay principle presented in Chapter 1, the farther away a place is located, the less likely it is that people will migrate to it. Furthermore, in contrast with international migration, most countries permit people to migrate internally. Thus, internal migrants are much more numerous than international migrants.

Internal migration can be divided into two types (Figure 3-7):

• Interregional migration is movement from one region of a country to another. Historically, the main type of interregional migration has been from rural to urban areas in search of jobs (Figure 3-8).

• Intraregional migration is movement within one region. The main type of intraregional migration has been within urban areas, from older cities to newer suburbs.

International and Internal Migration

Mexico’s two principal patterns of international migration are net in-migration from Central America and net out-migration to the United States. Mexico’s two principal interregional migration flows are net migration from the south to the north and from the center to the north. Mexico’s principal intraregional migration flow is from Mexico City to outer states in the Mexico City metropolitan area.

Internal Migration: Mexico

Most people find migration within a country less traumatic than international migration because they find familiar language, foods, broadcasts, literature, music, and other social customs after they move. Moves within a country also generally involve much shorter distances than those in international migration. However, internal migration can involve long-distance moves in large countries, such as in the United States and Russia.

Pause & Reflect 3.1.2

Reflect on a story of migration that is personal to you. Was it voluntary international, forced international, interregional internal, or intraregional internal?