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Migration

Migration refers to all movements of people from one country to another, or from one geographical place to another within the same country, with a change of residence. The first case is international migration, the second internal migration. The departure of people from a particular geographical area, whether from one country to another, or within the administrative divisions of a nation, is called emigration, while the movement of people into a different area is immigration. The migratory balance is the difference between the number of entries and departures. An emigrant is a person who leave a particular geographical area, and an immigrant is one who arrives there. One and the same person is an emigrant with reference to his point of departure, and an immigrant from the point of view of where he arrives.

The IIRGPH asked four questions in order to measure migration: place of current residence, place of birth, place of residence a year before the census date (i.e. on 1  August 1996) and place of residence when the war ended (about 5 years before the census date: October 1992). The questions on place of residence one and five years prior to the Census date made it possible to estimate recent migration. The questions on place of birth and place of current residence make it possible to calculate so-called all-life migration.

In recent years, migration, both internal and international, was mainly caused by he civil war that took place in the country. During the years of conflict, a large number of people were displaced from their places of origin to other areas, or to other countries, in search of a safe place to live. In the same period, the country experienced a prolonged drought which also led to significant population displacement.

Table 4.1 shows the rates of all-life migration by province. To interpret these rates, let us take Niassa province as an example (see also the explanations presented below the table). Thus, in the case of immigration, in every 100 people living in this province, 4.9 people were born in another province. As for emigration, in each 100 people born in Niassa province, there are 4.3 people now living in another province. The net migration rate is simply the difference between immigration and emigration divided by the population born and counted in Niassa. The sign of this rate shows whether the area "lost" (negative) or "gained" (positive) population.

QUADRO 4.1: Taxas de migração interna de toda a vida por província, Moçambique, 1997
34.4
Niassa
 4.9 4.3 0.3
Cabo Delgado
 2.5 3.3 -0.9
Nampula
 2.9 2.4 0.4
Zambézia
 2.0 5.2 -3.5
Tete
 3.8 7.2 -4.0
Manica
 15.7 4.9 10.5
Sofala
 13.4 10.1 2.2
Inhambane
 6.3 18.7 -16.6
Gaza
 6.7 19.5 -17.6
Maputo
 49.5 14.9 32.0
Maputo City
 60.8 20.9
 
 
(a)   Rate of immigration = I/N'
I = People living in the respective province and who were born in another province (immigrants)
N' = Pessoas que nasceram e foram enumeradas na província respectiva
(b) Taxa de emigração = E/N
E = Pessoas que nasceram na província respectiva e que residem noutra província (emigrantes)
N' = People who were born and counted in the respective province
(c) Rate of emigration = E/N

According to Table 4.1, the provinces with the highest rates of immigration in the country are Maputo City (60.8) and Maputo Province (49.5). Albeit lower, the immigration rates observed in Manica and Sofala are also high: 15.7 and 13.5, respectively. On the other hand, the provinces with the highest emigration rates are Maputo City, Gaza and Inhambane (20.9, 19.5 and 18.7, respectively). The latter two provinces have  the highest rates of negative net migration: -17.6 and  -16.6, respectively. The highest positive net rates are in Maputo City and  Maputo Province (34.4 e 32.0, respectively).

Table 4.2 shows the rates of internal migration for the period 1992-1997. For Niassa Province, for example, in the case of immigration, in each 100 people who were living in this province in 1997, in 1992 3.3 were living in another province. On the other hand, in the case of emigration, of each 100 people who in 1992 were living in Niassa, 2.8 people were living in another province in 1997. Essentially, this data the resettlement of people internally, after the end of the war. Analysis of the flow of return goes beyond the purposes of this brochure; however, it is important to mention that 534,100 people of  5 years of age an above stated in the census that they were living in another province in 1992. Of these people, 182,200l, or 34.1%, said they had been living in Maputo City, a fact which is not surprising since the capital offered the best conditions of security during the war. This is why the capital shows a very high net negative migration rate (-16.2). However, these figures also suggest the presence of different migratory resettlement movements in the post-war phase. For example, Maputo appears as the province with the highest immigration rate (16.9). It seems that an important part of the natural growth of

TABLE 4.2: Rates of internal migration by province, 1992-1997, Mozambique, 1997

 
Niassa
 3.3 2.8 0.3
Cabo Delgado
 1.9 1.4 0.4
Nampula
 1.4 2.2 -0.8
Zambézia
 2.2 2.3 -0.1
Tete
 2.6 3.9 -1.5
Manica
 7.2 3.3 3.8
Sofala
 5.0 5.9 -1.3
Inhambane
 9.1 5.2 3.6
Gaza
 10.0 4.2 5.7
Maputo
16.9 6.0 10.5
Maputo City
 7.7 19.3 -16.2
 

(a) 

Rate of immigration = I/N'

 

 

 

I = People living in the respective province and who in 1992  were living in another province (immigrants)

 

 

 

N' = People who in 1992 were living in the respective province, and were counted in the same province in 1997

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)

Rate of emigration = E/N

 

 

 

E = People who were living in the respective province in 1992 and who in 1997 were living in another province (emigrants)

 

 

 

N = People who in 1992 were living in the respective province

 

 

 

 

 

 

(c)

Rate of net migration = (I - E)/N'

 

 

 


Maputo City is being absorbed by the peripheral urban areas, which are located in Maputo Province. This fact, and the high Maputo city immigration rates (7.7), suggest that the capital and its peripheral areas have become an important pole of attraction during the past five years.

Table 4.3 shows migration for the period of  a year prior to the census, In this case, the figures indicates values that are not related to the post-war population resettlement, although there may still be residues. Once again it is in Maputo province that the immigration rate is highest (6.3); in second place is Maputo City (3.2). These data confirm what was mentioned earlier – namely that the capital and the surrounding areas are attracting immigrants from other provinces. But it also draws attention to the high rate of emigration from Maputo City (7.3). This suggests a trend also mentioned earlier: the natural growth of Maputo City is being absorbed by the adjacent urban areas, located in Maputo Province.


TABLE 4.3: Internal migration rates by province, 1996-1997, Mozambique, 1997

 
Niassa 0.9 0.9 0.0
Cabo Delgado 0.7 0.6 0.1
Nampula 0.5 0.6 -0.1
Zambézia 0.6 0.7 -0.1
Tete 0.5 0.8 -0.3
Manica 1.9 1.0 0.9
Sofala 1.5 1.8 -0.3
Inhambane 2.8 1.9 0.9
Gaza 2.2 1.4 0.7
Maputo 6.3 2.2 4.1
Maputo City 3.2 7.3 -4.8
 

(a)  

Rate of immigration = I/N'

 

I = People who in 1997 were living in the respective province and who in 1996 were living in another province (immigrants)

 

N' = People who in 1996 were living in the respective province and who were counted in the same province in 1997

 

 

(b)

Rate of emigration = E/N

 

E = People who in 1996 were living in the respective province and who in 1997 were living in another province (emigrants)

 

N = People who in 1996 were living in the respective province

 

 

(c)

Rate of net migration = (I - E)/N'

 

(c)

Rate of net migration = (I - E)/N'

So far only internal migration has been considered. Table 4.4 shows the rates of international immigration (international emigration is not usually estimated in censuses). Tete, Niassa and Manica are the provinces with the highest all-life immigration rates. One notes that these same provinces also have the highest rates for the period 1992-1997. This suggests that most of the international immigration is related to people returning from the neighbouring countries shortly after the end of the war. In absolute numbers, 806,000 people over the age of 5 declared in the Census that they had been living abroad in 1992. Of these people, 379,200, or  47.1%, live in Tete, which is the province with the highest rate of international immigration (71.7). One notes that in this province, in 1992, about 7 in every 10 people were living abroad. For the 1996-1997 period, the rates declined significantly. Possibly in some cases these rates may also be affected by residual return migration.

TABLE 4.4: Rates of international immigration by periods, and by provinces, Mozambique, 1997
Niassa 6.3 11.0 0.1
Cabo Delgado 1.5 0.8 0.3
Nampula 0.1 0.1 0.0
Zambézia 2.0 6.8 0.5
Tete 12.9 71.7 1.8
Manica 5.2 15.0 0.8
Sofala 1.1 4.7 0.2
Inhambane 0.3 1.0 0.7
Gaza 0.9 4.1 1.4
Maputo 1.7 3.7 1.0
Maputo City 2.1 1.3 0.7