Migration and Urbanization
3.1 Concept and Definition of Migration
Migration is fundamentally the movement of people away from their usual place of residence to a new place of residence, either across an international border (international migration) or within a state (internal migration).
While there is no single, universally agreed-upon definition, key aspects include:
- Spatial Displacement: A change in the place of usual residence.
- Time Period: For demographic purposes, the UN often defines a long-term migrant as a person living outside their country of origin for at least 12 months. Migration can be temporary (seasonal, circular) or permanent.
- Types:
- Internal: Movement within the same country (e.g., rural-to-urban).
- International: Movement across state boundaries (emigration is leaving, immigration is entering).
- Voluntary vs. Forced: Migration due to choice (e.g., better jobs) versus due to compulsion (e.g., conflict, disaster).
The process is typically driven by push-pull factors: conditions at the origin that encourage people to leave (push factors like poverty, lack of jobs, poor services) and attractive conditions at the destination that draw people in (pull factors like job opportunities, higher wages, better education, and healthcare).
3.2 Patterns and Trends of Migration in Nepal
Nepal experiences significant and diverse migration, both internal and international.
Dominant Patterns and Trends:
- Hill-to-Terai Migration (Internal): Historically, a pronounced shift, often referred to as “The Great Turnabout,” involved people moving from the resource-scarce, rugged Hill and Mountain regions to the more fertile and accessible Terai (southern plains). This trend began picking up speed after the eradication of malaria in the Terai in the late 1950s and the implementation of resettlement programs.
- Rural-to-Urban Migration (Internal): The prevailing internal pattern is the movement of people from rural areas to urban centers, particularly the Kathmandu Valley, driven by the search for better economic opportunities, education, and services.
- International Labor Migration (Overseas): This is the most significant contemporary trend in Nepal. Since the 1990s, there has been a rapid and continuous increase in the number of Nepalese, predominantly young males, migrating overseas for employment.
- Major Destinations: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (e.g., Qatar, Saudi Arabia) and Malaysia are the primary destinations for labor migrants, comprising a vast majority of the total foreign labor migrants. India remains a significant destination due to the open border and historical ties.
- Increasing Emigrant Share: The share of emigrants in the total population has significantly increased over the past two decades.
Drivers:
- Poverty and Lack of Jobs (Push): High rates of unemployment and underemployment in rural and remote areas.
- Economic Opportunity (Pull): Wage differentials between regions and countries, with migrants seeking higher expected lifetime earnings.
- Remittance Economy: Overseas migration has created a remittance-driven economy, where money sent back by migrants is a major contributor to Nepal’s GDP, which, in turn, fuels further migration.
3.3 Characteristics of Migration in Nepal
Migration in Nepal is characterized by specific demographic, economic, and social features.
- Male and Youth Dominance: International labor migration is overwhelmingly dominated by young, economically active males. The migrating tendency of males is significantly higher than that of females.
- Low-Skill Labor: A large majority of overseas migrants are often unskilled or semi-skilled, securing “3D” jobs (Difficult, Dirty, Dangerous) in host countries, which often results in lower earnings and riskier working conditions.
- High Household Dependency: Nearly 50 percent of Nepalese households have a member who is currently working overseas or has returned, highlighting migration’s central role in household economy.
- Remittance-Driven Poverty Reduction: Remittances have been instrumental in reducing national poverty rates and improving the consumption and investment patterns of migrant households.
- Brain and Youth Drain: The large outflow of young, skilled, and potential labor can negatively impact domestic productivity, private sector activity, and the overall labor supply, leading to skill shortages in key sectors.
- Circularity and Return: Migration is often circular or temporary, with migrants frequently returning home, though many eventually aim to settle in domestic urban centers after their overseas stint.
3.4 Concept and Definition of Urbanization
Urbanization is a process that encompasses three interconnected dimensions:
- Population Shift: The population shift from rural areas to urban areas, leading to a corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas.
- Population Concentration: The concentration of human populations into discrete, densely populated centers.
- Societal Adaptation: The social, economic, and cultural transformations that occur as societies adapt to this demographic change, including changes in land use (for residential, commercial, industrial purposes) and occupational structure (shift from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors).
Key Distinction: Urbanization refers to the proportion of the total national population living in urban areas (the level or degree of urbanity), whereas Urban Growth strictly refers to the absolute number of people living in urban areas. An area may experience urban growth without a high level of urbanization if the rural population is growing faster.
3.5 History and Geographical Pattern of Urbanization in Nepal
Nepal’s urbanization is a relatively recent and accelerating phenomenon, with a distinct geographical concentration.
History of Urbanization:
- Early Stages (Pre-1950s): Nepal’s urban history began with a few prominent, historically and culturally significant settlements, primarily in the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur). In the mid-1950s (1952/54 census), there were only 10 municipalities in the country, and the urban population share was very low, at only about 2.9% of the national total.
- Scientific Definition (1961): The 1961 census was the first internationally accepted scientific census that defined an urban area as one with a population cluster of 5,000 or more, possessing certain urban characteristics like schools, administrative offices, and market facilities.
- Post-Malaria Eradication (1960s onwards): Urbanization began to accelerate, particularly in the Terai region, following the malaria eradication and subsequent influx of migrants from the hills.
- Rapid Growth (Recent Decades): In recent decades, the pace has accelerated dramatically, driven by internal migration, reclassification of rural areas into municipalities, and border extensions.
Geographical Pattern:
- Concentration in the Terai: A significant portion of modern urbanization is concentrated in the Terai region (southern lowlands), especially along major highways and the border with India. This region offers productive land and easier access to services and commerce.
- Kathmandu Valley Dominance (Primacy): Despite the growth in the Terai, the Kathmandu Valley (the capital region) remains the urban core and exhibits urban primacy. It holds an excessive concentration of the urban population and is the primary destination for internal migrants, offering the highest level of education, government, and economic opportunities.
- Emergence of Highway Cities: Medium and small cities located along the East-West Highway (Mahendra Highway) and other major transport corridors are also experiencing high rates of urban growth.
3.6 Characteristics of Urbanization of Nepal
Urbanization in Nepal is marked by rapid change, geographical disparity, and specific socio-economic challenges.
- High Rate of Urban Growth: The pace of urban growth is one of the highest in South Asia, mainly due to the reclassification of rural areas into municipalities (administrative change) and rural-to-urban migration, rather than solely natural population increase within urban boundaries.
- Low Level of Urbanization (Historically): Despite the rapid growth rate, Nepal was historically considered one of the least urbanized countries globally, though its urban population percentage is now rapidly catching up with other developing nations.
- Geographical Imbalance: Urban development is heavily concentrated in the Kathmandu Valley and the Terai plains, leaving many parts of the Hill and Mountain regions sparsely urbanized.
- Infrastructure and Planning Deficits: Rapid and unplanned urban expansion, often at the expense of prime agricultural land, has led to significant challenges in urban governance and management, including:
- Inadequate housing and the rise of informal settlements.
- Poor infrastructure (water supply, drainage, sewerage, waste management).
- Traffic congestion and pollution.
- Migration-Driven: Urbanization is overwhelmingly driven by migration, both internal (rural-to-urban) and the reinvestment of international remittances in urban properties and businesses.
- Structural Change: The urban economy shows a greater shift from agriculture toward non-agricultural sectors like trade, services, and administration, reflecting the structural changes that accompany the urbanization process.
Would you like me to elaborate on the socio-economic impacts of remittances on Nepalese urban centers?
