People are on the move all the time. As we saw from the population distribution map this goes back to the earliest days of man. People decide to migrate for simple or complex reasons. They may be fleeing in fear of their lives because of religious or ethnic persecution, looking for a better standard of living, wanting to be with family, looking for new agricultural or economic opportunities.

Making a permanent move or a temporary relocation will have an effect on family members and the areas involved. In the Measuring Data section you can see how the effect of people leaving affects a country and impacts on government policies.

A migration may be between countries, say London in the UK to Provence in France, or within countries, for example London to Manchester.

We have five Case Studies. Find out why these people made their journey and what difference it made to their lives. Then click on the Migration Map and you'll see the patterns of migration which happened during the 20th century.