Migrants on the margins

Key questions

• What is internal migration?

• Where is it happening the most?

• What are the challenges associated with internal migration?

Key ideas

• Internal migration is the movement of people that does not cross international borders – it means people stay in their country of origin. Most of the world’s migration is internal.

• In 2015, it was estimated that globally more than 740 million people had migrated within their own country of birth.

• This type of migration often occurs in low-income developing countries and regions, especially in Africa and Asia

Listen to Professor Michael Collyer in our Ask the Geographer podcast

This animation introduces internal migration and the social, economic and environmental challenges it makes for cities.