Internal migration in India: are the underclass more mobile?

Ram B. Bhagat, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

India has seen an upsurge in economic growth since 1991. The 2001 census shows that internal migration has picked up rapidly during 1990s. Compared to intra-state (short distance) movement, inter-state (long distance) migration particularly the rural to urban migration has grown faster. The states with higher per capita income and larger dominance of non-agricultural sector show not only high in-migration but also high out-migration rates. Poverty ratio is not found related with out-migration rates at the state level. On the contrary, migration rates are higher in households with higher monthly per capita expenditure category. Also, the socially disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes don not show higher mobility compared to other population categories. Thus the increasing mobility of India’s population after liberalization of the economy in 1991 is more confined to better off sections.