The changing pattern of rural and urban migration in Malaysia

1
The changing pattern of rural and urban migration
in Malaysia

• By
• Razani Jali, John Stillwell and Phil Rees
• Presented at
• Third International Population Geographies
  Conference
• University of Liverpool
• 19-21 June 2006

2
Presentation

• Aims of the paper
• Data sources and background of country under
  study
• Population change, urbanization and development
• Internal migration
• Summary

3
Aims of the paper

• Review the progress of urbanization in Malaysia
• Identify the magnitude and patterns of migration
  in Malaysia in two time periods (1986-1991 and
  1995-2000)
• Identify the relative volumes of migration taking
  place within and between urban and rural areas,
  both within and between the states of Malaysia

4
Data sources

• Principal data source from censuses carried out
  by Department of Statistics, Malaysia
• Focus on migration data obtained from 1991 and
  2000 censuses involved population movement
  within five year period prior to each census
  within and between the states

5
Background - Malaysia
6
States in Malaysia
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Population change and urbanization

• Rapid development since independence
• Transformation from agricultural to industrial
  development
• Creation and growth of new towns
• Urbanization was driven by rural to urban
  migration

8
Population change and urbanization

• Malaysian population growing steadily
• In 1950 6.1 millions, 1955 7 millions, over 1
  million added every five years
• Population live in urban areas
• 1950 20.4
• 1960 26.6
• 1991 over 50
• Estimated ¾ of population live in urban areas
  by 2020

9
Urban, rural and total population, Malaysia,
1950-2030
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Urban, rural and total population, Malaysia,
1950-2030
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Urban, rural and total population, Malaysia,
1950-2030
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Urban population within the states

• States in Malaysia have been categorized into
  more developed and less developed states
• In 2000
• Less developed states have low proportion of
  people living in urban areas (lt50)
• More developed states have high proportion of
  people living in urban areas (gt50)

13
Internal migration aggregate patterns

• Changing levels of migration, 1986-1991 and
  1995-2000
• Migration within the country decline during the
  last census
• Total migration dropped from 4.6 millions during
  1986-1991 period to 3.6 millions during 1995-2000
  period
• Possible reason - economic downtown because of
  currency crisis during the second period, or
  Malaysia had probably passed the time of peak
  rural to urban flows

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Migration by age and sex, 1995-2000

• Highest propensity to migrate among the
  population in their twenties and thirties
• Internal migration involves more men than women
• In late teenage and young working age groups
  (15-29), females migrants outnumber males
• In child ages, middle and late working age, there
  are more male migrants than female

15
Internal migration rates and percentage shares by
age, 1995-2000
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Age-specific migration rates by state, 1995-2000
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Internal migration volumes by sex, 1995-2000
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Urban and rural migration

• Comparing flows between urban and rural for two
  censuses 1991 and 2000
• This is possible because the definition for urban
  areas is the same
• Shortcomings
• Ever expanding urban areas means urban
  territories/ boundaries are not the same
• There are unknown origin and destinations in
  migration data, especially in 1991 census from
  unknown to unknown

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Urban and rural migration

• In 1995-2000 - 60 flows between urban areas
  within and between states, only 10 occur within
  rural areas
• In 1986-1991, 46 flows between urban areas
  within and between states, but 25 of migration
  was taking place between rural areas

20
Intra-state migration by type, 1995-2000
Source Malaysian Census 2000
21
Inter-state flows in Malaysia, 1995-2000
131,400 20,000 - 42,000 10,000 -20,000
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Summary

• Malaysia experiencing rapid urbanization since
  independence and internal migration is one of the
  significant determinants at early stage
• Most urbanized states situated in the west coast
  of peninsular Malaysia and they are also the more
  developed states
• Internal migration within Malaysia in 1995-2000
  is between urban areas, which suggest the process
  of deconcentration of urban population into its
  rural hinterlands.

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Future project?

• Look at the contribution of immigration from
  outside Malaysia (i.e. Indonesia) to urban
  population growth
• Estimate natural increase in Malaysias urban and
  rural areas using census age distributions and
  national schedules to obtain full picture of
  population flows that are contributing to changes
  in Malaysias urban and rural populations

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• Thank You
• For Your Attention