Migration Explorer
How many Indians live somewhere other than where they usually lived — and where is movement highest? The migration rate (people whose last usual residence differs from their current home) across every state, split rural and urban. Drawn from India's official Migration in India 2020-21 survey. Movement is the thread that runs through the whole life-course — from a school-leaver chasing work to a bride moving at marriage.
What this measures — and why it matters
The migration rate is the share of people whose last usual place of residence is different from where they live now — India's official count of internal migrants. It is one of the least-understood big numbers in the country: nearly three in ten Indians are migrants, yet policy, welfare and political representation are still overwhelmingly tied to where people were born. Two patterns dominate: migration is far higher in cities (drawing workers in), and the single largest reason overall is marriage — because most women in India move to their husband's household — while for men employment leads. This explorer maps the rate; the reasons are described below.
▸ How to read this explorer
- Start with the question. Tap any underlined word to change the area or the view.
- The migration rate is a percentage — migrants as a share of the population. The dashed line marks the All-India rate. A high rate can mean a place people move to (cities) or move within.
- Two views: Rank the states (choose all areas, rural or urban), or List the table.
- State-level — the survey is designed for state and national estimates, not districts.
Making sense of the numbers
What "migrant" means here. A migrant is anyone whose last usual place of residence differs from the place they were enumerated — so it counts moves within a district, between districts and between states, for any reason. That is why the rate is high (29.1% all-India) and why it is dominated by women moving at marriage. It is not a measure of only work-driven or long-distance migration.
Why cities read high. Urban areas (34.6%) rank above rural (26.8%) because cities are net destinations — they pull in workers and families. A high state rate like Chandigarh's or the metros' reflects in-migration; it does not mean the local-born population is unusually mobile.
The reasons behind the rate. In the same survey, marriage is the leading reason for migration overall (driven by women, the overwhelming majority of whom migrate for marriage), while among men the leading reasons are employment and moving with an earning family member. Reasons are collected in granular sub-categories and split by rural/urban, so they are described here rather than charted, to avoid over-simplifying the mix.
Data pulled from the official MoSPI eSankhyiki service for the Migration in India 2020-21 survey (NSS 78th round / Multiple Indicator Survey), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation. The all-India migration rate here (29.1%) matches the published report (~28.9%). This is an independent, source-linked interface for learning and discussion — for methodology and authoritative interpretation, consult MoSPI directly. ImpactMojo is not affiliated with MoSPI.