2 of 5 Indians Are Migrants; Nearly Half Move for Marriage: Survey

Nearly 454 million Indians are migrants, according to freshly released Census 2011 data on migration.

Sixty-nine percent of the migrants, a vast majority of the group, are women who move out of their parental homes for marriage. Image used for representation. (Photo: iStock)

Nearly 454 million Indians, i.e two out of every five Indians are migrants, according to freshly released Census 2011 data on migration.

This would imply that between 2001 and 2011, nearly 139 million Indians migrated within the country. Sixty-nine percent of the migrants, a vast majority of the group, are women who move out of their parental homes for marriage.

While half of this movement is rural-to-rural migration, rural-to-urban migration accounts for about 18 percent and urban-to-urban is another 17 percent. On comparing with the 2001 Census data, it appears there has not been a big shift in percentage of people moving from villages to cities.

Also Read: In Mumbai, Marathwada Migrants Able to Rise Above Poverty Line

Among those surveyed, the reasons cited for migration varied. Approximately 10 percent moved in search of jobs during the intervening decade of 2001 and 2011, dipping from 15 percent in the preceding decade.

This observation counters the perception that migration is largely driven by employment. The percentage of those moving for education is only two, down from three percent in the 2001 census.

Marriage, however, remained the biggest factor for migration and accounted for 49 percent, an increase of five percent from 2001.

Source: Times of India