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People’s tendency to migrate to villages from cities increased during the coronavirus pandemic. The tendency is still prevailing even after the end of the pandemic. Rather, the tendency is gradually increasing every year for socioeconomic reasons.
According to the figures from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the number of people who migrated to villages has doubled within just two years. In 2021, six people out of every 1,000 had moved to villages. The number had increased to 14 in 2023.
These migration-related figures came up in the Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023 report published by the BBS. The BBS conducted a survey of some 308,032 families to prepare the report.
The number of people migrating to villages has increased, and the number of people moving to cities from villages has dropped. According to the BBS, the number of people moving to cities from villages was 26.4 in every 1,000, which dropped to 20 in 2023.
The economists say people usually migrate from one place to another to earn money. Besides, the desire to have a better lifestyle and social issues like marriage are also key factors behind people migrating from one place to another.
BBS statistics show that around 14 people in every 1000 left cities for villages in 2023, compared to 10.9 in 2022. As such, the number of people moving to villages from the cities has increased by 3 in just a year.
Experts feel that the tendency to migrate to villages from cities has also increased due to the development of the country’s communication system. The communication between Dhaka and the districts adjacent to it has improved a lot. As a result, a certain part of the low-income population is leaving cities for villages. Many are sending their families back to villages to cope with the pressure of increasing living costs in the capital.
Experts say people’s living costs are quite higher than their income nowadays. In addition, job opportunities have become restricted in many cases. Therefore, people are considering villages as safer places. At the same time, the number of people migrating to cities from villages has also dropped.
Speaking regarding this, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) executive director Fahmida Khatun told The Business Metro people’s income has not increased that much as compared to the additional living costs nowadays. So people are heading towards the villages to cope with the extra living costs. The government’s social safety net programs should be expanded further to handle the situation.
Fahmida Khatun further said that not enough jobs have been created in urban areas in the last few years; rather, there have been layoffs in many formal and informal sectors. It is prolonging the economic pressure on low-income people. As a result, those who were a little above the poverty line are dropping below the poverty line again. It is being reflected in the rise of people’s tendency to move to villages.