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People on the move
The movement of people from place to place is called migration. People are not alone in migrating - think about birds such as swallows, which migrate huge distances every year.
In the past, most people were born, grew up and died in the same area. Most people worked on the land or in local industry, and there was little transport to other areas. Today people can travel quickly over long distances and often choose to move to different places and even different countries (photo A).
What are the global migration patterns like?
3.5% of the world’s population are international migrants (most migrants tend to go from low- to high-income countries (LICs to HICs). Most people choose to migrate, however, some are forced to migrate, due to war, famine, natural disasters or political persecution. These people become refugees - people who have left their home and do not have a new home to go to. There are about 25 million refugees worldwide.
There are two main driving forces for migration, whether internal or international migration.
Push factors are reasons why people leave an area, e.g. famine, lack of security, few jobs, instability, no healthcare, no schools, no family.
Pull factors are the reasons why they are attracted to another area to live, e.g. job opportunities, food, security, healthcare, schools, family, stable government.
Migration into the UK
The 2011 census revealed that the UK’s population is growing. There are two reasons why populations get bigger:
More babies are born than the number of people that die.
More people move into a country than move out.
Over 50% of the increase in the UK’s population was from international migration - people moving from other countries to the UK. This is the key reason for ethnic diversity in the UK, since people come from all over the world.
At the same time, people are also moving out of the UK. The difference between the number of people arriving (immigrants) and the number of people leaving (emigrants) is called net migration.
Why are people moving into the UK?
There are many reasons why people move to the UK.
Some people wish to live and work in the UK because they can earn more money than in their home country. These people are called economic migrants (photo B).
After they escape wars and natural disasters, some refugees seek safety in the UK. In recent years, the UK has accepted people from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
Other people come to the UK for social reasons - to join family and friends or to study in the UK.
Table C shows the top ten countries for non-UK born residents recorded in the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Notice that in the 2011 census most immigrants came from India, Poland and Pakistan. Most of these people travelled to the UK to be with family and friends or to seek work.
Some of the immigrants came from other countries, most of which have long-standing ties with the UK or are English-speaking.
Internal Migration
Internal migration involves moving from one part of a country to another. In 2010 - 11, about 100,000 people moved out of England into another part of the UK. A similar number moved into England. Look at table E. It shows the net migration for the UK regions.
One of the most frequent types of internal migration is rural to urban migration. Today, this happens mainly in low-income countries (LICs), where cities are growing rapidly and people are leaving the countryside. In the past, it also happened in high-income countries (HICs). Today, over half of the world’s population lives in cities.
Why do people migrate within the UK?
There are many reasons why people move around within the UK. Most are to do with jobs and family.
A closer look: migration to the South West
Look back at table E. Notice that the highest net migration is to the South West. There are several reasons why this region is so attractive to migrants from elsewhere in the UK.
Bristol is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. It is a centre for creative and technological industries.
The region is well served by rail, motorways and air transport.
Several universities attract large numbers of students into the region.
The quality of life is high with relatively low levels of crime and pollution.
Tourism brings many visitors and provides opportunities for businesses such as cafes and ‘bed and breakfast’.
The region has a mild climate, so many people choose to retire to the coast, for example on the ‘English Riviera’ at Torquay in Devon.
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