What do you know?
What is migration?
Migration is the movement of people from one area to another.
Key points
- There are different reasons why people migrate, such as for work opportunities or to seek safety.
- Migration is influenced by push and pull factors.
- Migration of people can happen both between different countries, and within the same country.
- Migration can have a number of effects on both the host and source countries.
Game - Increasing immigration
Play a Planet Planners mission and help to increase the number of people working and incorporate them into the economy.
You can also play the full game
Why do people migrate?
The movement of people from one area to another. Migration can been forced or chosen. is the movement of people from one area to another. This may be temporary or permanent and may be international or within a country.
The decision to migrate is often a difficult one and one taken out of dire need, for safety, or for the hope of a better life. The reasons why people choose to leave one area and go to another are known as push and pull factors. Push factors are things which make people want to leave and pull factors are things attracting them to the new location. Often the decision to move from one area to another is based on a mix of both push and pull factors.
Push factors
A person may choose to leave their area or country voluntarily, or they may be forced to leave. For example, Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country. and Someone who has been forced to move because of dangers in their own country, and is waiting while they apply for safety in another country. may be forced to leave to escape a war or Serious disagreements between individuals or groups..
People may also have to leave a country as a result of a A natural event such as an earthquake or flood which causes loss of life or extensive damage.. In the aftermath of the May 2021 Mount Nyiragongo volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for instance, around 400,000 people were forced to flee the Congolese city of Goma. Thousands of those people entered neighbouring Rwanda, where they stayed in the border city of Gisenyi.
Pull factors
People may choose to voluntarily leave their area or country to improve their The amount of wealth or personal comfort that a person or group of people have.. These people are known as economic migrants. They may move from a low-income country to a high-income country or from a Relating to the countryside. The opposite of urban. to an Relating to towns and cities; built up areas, the opposite of rural. in the same country in the hope of finding a better paid job. Although this is classed as voluntary migration, some people may feel forced to move to support their families.
Question
What is the difference between a push and pull factor?
Push factors are things which make people want to leave and pull factors are things attracting them to the new location.
The effects of migration
Migration can have consequences for both the host and the source countries and these can be both positive and negative.
听
| Positive impacts of migration for source country | Negative impacts of migration for source country |
|---|---|
| Reduction in When a person who is actively seeking a job is unable to find work.. | As the population decreases, so too does the amount of money received from . |
| Less demand for services such as healthcare in the country due to the now lower population. | Those who leave are often those who are highly skilled and educated, leaving fewer skilled workers in the source country. This is known as 鈥榖rain drain鈥. |
| Money sent back home from the host country can help boost the source country鈥檚 economy. | 听 |
| Positive impacts of migration for host country | Negative impacts of migration for host country |
|---|---|
| Skilled workers arriving in the host country means shortages can be filled without having to invest in training people to fill these roles. | Large numbers of people coming to a country all at once may lead to environmental impacts as the migrants compete for resources. An increase in migrants to one place can increase the levels of pollution in that area. |
| More money is paid to the government in taxes and more money is spent in businesses, providing a boost to the economy. | Increased competition for jobs may lead to a rise in resentment and potentially conflict between migrant workers and locals. |
| Attracting younger workers is a way of coping with an increasingly ageing population. | 听 |
| An exchange and appreciation of cultures and a multicultural society. | 听 |
Game - Dealing with emigration
Play a Planet Planners mission and help a low-income country to manage shifts in population.
You can also play the full game
Question
What is the difference between a host and source country?
A source country is where migrants come from. A host country is where they move to.
Test your knowledge
Play the Planet Planners game! game
Make decisions for the planet in this KS3 geography game.
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