Emigration

Emigration is the act of leaving one's resident country to settle permanently in a different place. While it is a form of migration, the term focuses on the country being left behind. This is different from immigration, which describes the movement of people into a new country. A single person can be both an emigrant and an immigrant at the same time. They are an emigrant from the perspective of their old home and an immigrant from the perspective of their new home.

Demographers, who are scientists that study human populations, use specific terms to explain why people move. They look at push factors and pull factors. Push factors are negative circumstances that encourage a person to leave their current home. These can include poor living conditions, overcrowding, or a lack of jobs. People may also be pushed away by political corruption, the threat of arrest, or persecution based on race, religion, or gender. Other push factors include famine, drought, or the threat of warfare and terrorism.

Pull factors are the positive incentives that attract people to a new destination. These might include a higher quality of life, economic growth, or better educational opportunities. Some people are pulled toward a place by the chance for quick wealth, such as during a gold rush. Others move to join relatives or fellow countrymen, a process known as chain migration. Pull factors can also include political freedom, a favorable climate, or the opportunity to build specific religious communities.

History is filled with massive waves of emigration driven by these factors. During the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, millions of people fled poverty and political turmoil in Europe. These individuals settled in the Americas and Oceania. Similarly, the Chinese diaspora saw millions of people leave South China during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

These movements were often caused by social, economic, or political changes that reshaped entire continents.

Measuring emigration can be difficult because many countries do not keep perfect records of people leaving. Instead, researchers often use secondary sources, such as the immigration records of the countries receiving the people. Despite these challenges, the global rate of emigration has grown significantly. In 2017, the number of emigrants reached 280 million people. Some nations experience very high rates, such as Armenia. In Armenia, the emigration index is 1.5% of the population annually. Between 1990 and 2005, between 700,000 and 1,300,000 Armenians left the country, often seeking work or study in Russia, France, or the United States.

Some forms of emigration are not voluntary. Forced displacement occurs when groups are compelled to abandon their native lands. This can happen through enforced population transfers or the threat of ethnic cleansing. Refugees and asylum seekers represent the most marginalized cases of migration. These individuals often face many hurdles while trying to journey to a new land and integrate into a new society. Because these situations are so difficult, scholars suggest that businesses and non-governmental organizations should work together to help them.

Governments have also used laws to restrict emigration. For example, the Qing Emperor banned Han Chinese migration to Manchuria after 1668. The Soviet Union implemented strict controls starting in 1918, using internal passports and residence permits called "Propiska." In the Eastern Bloc after World War II, over 15 million people emigrated from Soviet-occupied countries to the west between 1945 and 1950.

East Germany faced a "brain drain" when nearly 20% of its population moved to West Germany by 1961. To stop this, the government built a barbed-wire barrier that eventually became the Berlin Wall. While the wall fell in 1989, some countries, such as North Korea, still maintain very strict emigration bans today.