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The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will start a year-long migration survey covering almost the entire country from July 2026, with the aim to find out the rate of migration, out-migration, short-term migration as well as the reasons for migration and the net migration that is taking place.
Villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will not be covered in the survey as they are difficult to access, MoSPI said in a concept note released on Thursday. The statistics ministry has invited feedback on the concept note by November 30.
“Such information will greatly benefit policymakers, planners, researchers, and development practitioners by enabling more targeted interventions in areas such as urban planning, housing, transportation, employment generation, social security, and skill development. The data will also help in assessing the implications of migration for inclusive growth and regional development, thereby strengthening India’s socio-economic policy framework,” the statistics ministry said in a statement. A household member whose last usual place of residence differs from the current place is considered a migrant.
The upcoming survey will be the most comprehensive attempt in more than a decade to understand and map India’s internal mobility patterns. The first dedicated migration survey was conducted from February 1963 to January 1964 with the most recent being from July 2007 to June 2008.
Since then, MoSPI has only collected migration data once as part of its Periodic Labour Force Survey for July 2020 to June 2021. That survey showed India’s migration rate – or the percentage of migrants in the population – to be 28.9 per cent, with females having a far higher rate than males in both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, the female migration rate was 48 per cent compared to 5.9 per cent among males, while for urban areas the figures were 47.8 per cent and 22.5 per cent, respectively.
However, the reasons for male and female migration were markedly different. As per the 2020-21 survey, while 67 per cent of male migrants cited employment-related reasons, marriage was the explanation given by almost 87 per cent of female migrants.
Next year’s survey will see some changes from that conducted in 2007-08. For one, data on entire households migrating will not be collected as this proportion has in the past been very low. Second, a person will now be considered a short-term migrant if they have stayed away from their usual place of residence for between 15 days and six months in the last one year for employment or in search of employment. The previous time-frame was 1-6 months.
The survey will also ask new questions to understand the impact of migration on the person. These questions include the change in income due to migration, if migration led to an improvement in health care, peace and stability, and access to basic amenities, the type of problem faced in the present place of residence, and whether the person intends to move out from the current place.
