URBANIZATION AND

MIGRATION: DIMENSIONS &

DYNAMICS
By
Prof. R.B.P. Singh
Head, Department of Geography,
Patna university, Patna
 INTRODUCTION
Ø Urbanization is a phenomenon of
population change and a dominant
process of spatial reorganization of
population.
Ø Urbanization has no precise meaning and
definition it means different things in
different countries, and the united nation
has come to accept the division between
urban and rural population as necessarily
arbitrary and best left to the discretion of
the countries conserved (U. N
demographic year book ,1952)
Ø The distinction between urban and rural,
therefore, continues to be artificial,
programmatic and amorphous (carter,
EXISTING TREND OF
URBANIZATION
Ø This process of urbanization leads to urban
growth and 50% population of the world
was found living in urban areas (2007)
Ø Urban population in 2007 3.3 billion urban
population by 2050, 6.4 billions this
means about 70% population of the
world were be living in urban areas
Ø China India and USA together have 35%
urban population of the world (2007)
Ø Out of 25 countries having largest size of
urban population.
Ø Seven have urban level from 27% to 50%
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria and
Pakistan
Dynamics of urban growth:
The rural to urban migration and
the urbanization are:
Ø Associated with shift in the labour force
from the agricultural sector to the
urbanized industrial sector.
Ø Associated with shift in the labour force
from the rural agricultural sectors to
urban informal sectors.
Ø Associated with shift in the labour force
from agricultural sector to construction
and transportation sector.
Ø Associated with shift of rural poor to the
sector of urban poor
Other forms of shift:
Ø Rural rich developed a tendency of two-leg
economy.
Ø Rural-unrest compelled large size & medium size
land holders to shift to urban areas.
Ø Seasonal shift caused greater swelling of population
in dry reason in comparison to wet season.
Ø En block shift as a second step migration of
landless and tiny farmers.
Ø Matrimonial relation principally brought women in
the urban areas. Women rarely go to village
(bhagat,2005).
Ø Educational awareness has also brought young
groups to urban centres.
Ø Even rural disabled also move to urban areas.


 All these have caused phenomenal

growth of urban population in developing countries
after 1970
Percent of urban population in
some selected countries:
Sl. no. country 2010 1990
1. Gabon 86.0 69.1
2. Nigeria 49.8 35.3
3. Congo 54.3 62.1
4. Angola 58.5 37.1
5. Haiti 49.5 28.5
6. Sudan 45.2 26.6
7. Ghana 36.4 51.5
8. Cameron 40.7 58.4
9. Djibouti 65.0 88.1
10. Gambia 58.1 38.3
11.. Liberia 61.5 45.0
Source: human development report 2009
Large size cities and capital
cities attract more migrants:
 It has emerged as a global trend. There is
a crash for making an entry in metropolitan
and capital cities in developing countries.
Metropolitan cities provide informal sector
employment for subsistence. All capital
cities are getting more investment
providing some amount of both formal and
informal job opportunities. Administrative
security is another factor which causes
inflow of rural population.
 Growth of megacities:
Sl. No. year World total Developed Developing
countries countries
1. 1950 01 01 -

2. 1970 04 03 01

3. 1980 07 03 04

4. 2001 17 04 13

5. 2007 19 04 15

source: UNO report,2008

 Regional pattern of megacities in
2007:
Sl. no. continents Megacities
1. Asia 11
2. Latin America 4
3. North America 2
4. Africa 1
5. Europe 1
SOURCE:UNO REPORT 2008

ØBy 2025, there may be 27 megacities.

ØMegacities have 4% population of the world
i.e. one out of is living in megacities
 Percent of total population in
capital cities
Sl. No. Cities Percent
1. Mexico city 20.3
2. Buenos Aires 38.0
3. Santiago 35.0
4. lima 28.0
5. Havana 19.0
6. Cairo 10.0
7. Lagos 8.0
8. Dhaka 7.0
Calculated by the author on the basis of population of 2000
Indian scenario:
Ø Presently there are three megacities
accommodating about 39 percent urban
population of India. People have come
from all parts of India. they are culturally
cosmopolitan and exhibit a true sense of
cultural symbiosis and making unity in
the midst of diversity.
Ø If the present trend of urbanization
continues then 46 percent of the total
population will be in urban areas by 2030
and cities like Chennai, Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Pune and Surat may become
megacities.
 Nature of migration in India:
Migrants 2001 in Percent Growth rate in
millions distribution percent(1991-
Intra-district 193.5 (2001)
61.6 2001)
37.0
Inter-district 74.6 23.7 26.3
Inter-state 41.1 13.1 53.6
International 5.1 1.6 -13.4
migrants
All migrants 314.3 100.0 34.7
Total 1028.6 - 21.4
population
rce: census of India 2001, census commissioner & registrar General, India, New Delh
Some interesting insights on
Migration are:
Ø During the reporting period,30% reported as migrants by
place of birth.
Ø During previous decade (1991-2001), the number of
migrants in India (excluding J&K) rose by 32.9%, the
total number of migrants by place of last residence in
India (excluding J&K) grew by 34.7%.
Ø High growth (53.6%) among inter-state migrants.
Ø Total migrants by last residence(0-9 years) accounted to
98.3 millions.
Ø 43.8% moved due to marriage, 21.0% with their
households, 14.7% migrated due to work,6.7% moved
after their birth, 3% educational purposes,1.2% for
business and 9.7% for specified other regions .
Ø About 42.4 m Migrants out of total 65.4 millions female
migrants cited marriage as a reason for migrants
among mails the most important reason for migration
was ‘work/Employment’, 12.3 million out of 32.8
million total male migrants migrated due to this
reason.
Ø During the decade, out of the urban growth 30.3%,
Ø If one takes away those migrants who moved
due to marriage, the total number of
migrants falls from 98.3 million to 55.2
million total number among mails and
females were 32.2 millions and 22.9 millions
respectively.
Ø Migration streams (during the last decade) .
Ø Rural to rural migration within the country: 53.3
million.
Ø Rural to urban migration : 20.5 million.
Ø Urban to rural migration:6.2 million.
Ø Urban to urban migration 14.3 millions.
Ø Uttar Pradesh (-2.6 million) and Bihar (-1.7
million) where the two states with largest
number of net migrants migrating out of the
states
Ø The total number of inter states migrants was
42.3milliuons and those who were born
aboard account for 6.1 million. About 97% of
Directional change in rural urban
migration:
Before independence:-
After independence
After 1970:
Ø Inter state migration become more
dominant Hindi belt emerged as the
principle source region
Ø The population entering Bihar was 364, 337
and that exiting the state was more than
three times, higher at 12,26,839. in
contrast the incoming population for
Gujarat was 7.2 lakhs while out going was
only 3.1 lakhs (census report 1991)
Ø Source and destination were changed
Ø Delhi and its surrounding, greater Mumbai,
Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Ahmadabad. Bhopal.,
Indore, and even smaller industrial center
of Gujarat, Maharashtra , daman and Diu,
and Silwassa of Dadar nager Haweli
attracted Hindi belt rural unskilled worker
on large scale. there was stream like
migration to Delhi and Mumbai region
Ø Rural tribes and non tribes of Orissa
Jharkhand Chhattisgarh and M.P also
moved to industrial towns.
Ø The importance of Howrah Kolkata region
relatively decline as destination region
Why do they migrate:
1.Inadequate job in rural sector
2.Poverty
3.Cast discrimination
4.Rural unrest
5.Growth interest in urban real estate property
6.To improve social status by constructing house
buying TV/Radio sets, mobile etc.
7.To educate children.
8.Security reason
9.Huge job opportunities in informal sector
10.Even invalids and disabled are able to survive
in the midst urban scope
Rural - urban migration: A
secular shift of population
Migrants belong to all cast and religions
groups.
Within village, there are social distance
Once reach to the town/city social divide
line disappears
Community feeling emerges and even line
together in the same building/room in the
slums of Delhi, Mumbai, and Surat
Metropolitan slums have emerged as
cultural symbiosis having poor of all
region, religion caste and creeds making
dwelling areas of rural-urban migrants as
the dwelling area of migrants having
 Major cities and hut dwellers
Sl. No. city Total Hut & sharing
1. Mumbai population
164 dwells
54
2. Delhi (in
129lakh) 20
3. Kolkata 132 15
4. Chennai 66 8
5. Nagpur 21 7
6. Faridabad 11 3

Source: slum free cities document: 2020

Planning commission, govt. of India, 2009
About 100 crore live in huts and slums in
the world
It is estimated that such dwellers will be
about 200 crore in 2030.
About 15% urban population of 600 towns
and cities live in huts and shanties
Housing shortage for weaker section
continues to increase. it was only 2.8
millio0n which increased to 10.2 million in
1991 and 24 million 2007.
Conclusion:
Rural urban migration at present, may be a
positive phenomenon provided migrants
are regulated and managed properly. The
regulated are managed migrants can reap
benefits for both the sending and to the
receiving regions however, city region
development approach and PURA like
programmers need to be extended all
over the country to minimized rural urban
gap and to bring sustainability in rural-
urban ethos
THANKS