Question

Why do people migrate? Explain with examples.

Answer 1

People migrate due to the push factors or pull factors :

1. Push factors
These are the reasons which force people to leave a place. Some of them are :

• A lack of job in their own country.
• War like situations
  Example – Thousands of Syrians are escaping the violent war in Syria and migrating to safer countries.
• Food and essentials become scarce and expensive due to famine or political instability.
  For example – The economic crisis in Greece in 2015 led to severe shortages of food and medicine, forcing people to migrate. The severe food grain shortage in Nigeria in 2016 forced many Nigerians to migrate to neighbouring countries.
• Natural disasters:
  For example : The 2015 earthquake in Nepal caused many people to migrate to India.

2. Pull factors
These are the reasons which attract people to a new place. These include :

• Job opportunities in the new country. For example, many Indians migrate to Canada and Australia for jobs.
• Education – Many students leave India to study abroad.
• Availability of better medical facilities.