Migration: why people move from one place to another
Geography · Key Stage 2 · The School
Moving to live somewhere new
MIGRATION means moving to live in a new place. It can be a move within one country. It can also be a move between countries. People have always migrated, for many different reasons. It happens on every continent, every single year.
Push and pull
A PUSH FACTOR is a reason to leave a place. War, poverty and few jobs are common push factors. A PULL FACTOR is a reason to choose a new place. Better jobs, safety and family already living there are common pull factors. Most moves involve both at once. Geographers study both sides of every move.
Not always a choice
Some migration is freely chosen. Someone might move for a better job. Other migration is forced. Someone might flee a war or a disaster. A person forced to flee like this is called a REFUGEE. The difference matters hugely to the person involved. It also shapes what help that person actually needs.
A family lives where jobs are scarce. That is a push factor. They hear that a nearby city has plenty of work. That is a pull factor. They also have a cousin already living there. That is a second pull factor. The family decides to move. No single factor caused the move alone. The push and the two pulls worked together. Most real migration stories look exactly like this, with several reasons stacked up together. Ask any migrant family and there is rarely just one reason.