The big idea: Voluntary internal migration is when people choose to move home within their own country — for example from a region with few jobs to a fast-growing city.
No one is forced to move (that would be forced migration). People move because they expect a better life somewhere else in the same country.
These moves change places: the areas people leave and the areas they move to both feel the effects.
Key terms
- Internal migration - moving home but staying inside the same country (no border is crossed).
- Voluntary - the migrant chooses to move; it is not forced by war, disaster or eviction.
- Source area - the place migrants leave (origin).
- Destination area - the place migrants move to.
- Net migration - arrivals minus departures; a positive figure means a place is gaining people, a negative figure means it is losing them.
Everyday examples: A young worker moving from a quiet rural town to a capital city for a job; a family leaving an expensive city for a cheaper coastal region; a graduate moving across the country to study or start a career.
Push and pull factors
- Pull (to the destination) - more jobs, higher wages, better services, study, family or a nicer climate.
- Push (from the source) - few jobs, low pay, poor services, farm failure or limited opportunities.
- Most internal migrants are young, working-age adults - the group an economy depends on most.
How it can hold development back: Internal migration is not always good for the whole country. When young workers all drain out of one region into a few big cities, the source region loses its workforce while the destination is overwhelmed - so the national economy can be held back even as the city grows.
Explain two ways in which voluntary internal migration could hold back a country's economic development.
Model answer plan
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Both ends of the move change: Every internal move has two places: the area people leave and the area they arrive in. Each gets social and economic consequences - and they are usually opposite.
Source area - what people leave behind
- Social - an ageing population left behind, fewer young people, schools and clubs closing, a 'hollowed-out' community.
- Economic - a smaller workforce, businesses closing, falling demand and house prices.
Destination area - where people arrive
- Social - a younger, growing population, but pressure on housing, schools and hospitals; possible tension over crowding.
- Economic - more workers and consumers, but rising house prices and congestion.
A real pattern: Australia: In Australia, people have moved out of New South Wales (around Sydney) towards Queensland for cheaper housing, jobs and a warmer climate. NSW lost the most people to interstate migration, while Queensland gained the most - so Queensland's coast booms while parts of NSW empty out.
How this is tested: A shaded map of net interstate migration is a favourite data stimulus: each state is coloured by how many people it gained or lost. The short marks ask you to Identify the state with the largest net loss and State the range of values, while a Suggest [2] probes why survey data on people's reasons might be unreliable. A final 'To what extent' [6] then asks how alike population change is across the country — so read the figures off carefully and always quote the units (people).
Read the key first. Which state is shaded for the biggest loss, and which for the biggest gain?
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Using the map: identify the state with the largest net loss [1], and state the range of net migration values shown [1].
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
| State / territory | Net interstate migration (people) |
|---|---|
| Queensland | +97,000 |
| Victoria | +8,000 |
| Tasmania | +5,000 |
| Western Australia | -9,000 |
| South Australia | -12,000 |
| New South Wales | -107,000 |
IB-style question - read the infographic
Using the table above: (a) identify the state with the largest net loss to interstate migration [1]; (b) state the range of net migration values shown [1]; (c) describe how alike, or not, population change is across these states [2].
How to answer each part
- (a) Identify the largest loss. Scan for the most negative figure - New South Wales at -107,000.
- (b) State the range. Range = highest minus lowest value: +97,000 (Queensland) to -107,000 (NSW), a range of 204,000 people.
- (c) Describe how alike. It is not alike - change is very uneven: some states gain strongly (Queensland +97,000) while others lose heavily (NSW -107,000), so the country is not changing in the same way everywhere.
Final answer
(a) New South Wales; (b) +97,000 to -107,000 (range 204,000); (c) very uneven - some states gain, others lose.
Using the migration data, to what extent is population change alike across the whole country?
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.