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 ( and )
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

7. 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

10. Urban, rural and total population, Malaysia, 1950-2030

11. Urban, rural and total population, Malaysia, 1950-2030

12. 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 (<50%)
More developed states have high proportion of people living in urban areas (>50%)

13. Internal migration: aggregate patterns
Changing levels of migration, and
Migration within the country decline during the last census
Total migration dropped from 4.6 millions during period to 3.6 millions during 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

14. 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

16. Age-specific migration rates by state, 1995-2000

17. Internal migration volumes by sex, 1995-2000

18. 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”

19. Urban and rural migration
In % flows between urban areas within and between states, only 10% occur within rural areas
In , 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
10, ,000

22. 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 is between urban areas, which suggest the process of deconcentration of urban population into its rural hinterlands.

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

24. Thank You
For Your Attention