Rural-Urban Migration in Less Developed Countries: A Dynamic View

Abstract

The rapid rates of rural-urban migration typifying many less developed countries have been of growing concern for two reasons. In some cases, in East Africa for example, opportunities have not kept pace with the growth of the urban labor force, resulting in high rates of urban unemployment. In other cases, the Ivory Coast, for example, rapid sustained economic growth in the urban sector has been capable of absorbing a very high rate of rural-urban migration without high unemployment rates developing. Even where unemployment has not emerged, the rapid population growth caused by high migration rates to cities has put serious strains on social services such as public health, water supplies, and schools.