Youth migration in India: Spatial pattern, characteristics and its linkage with development

Population in the age group 15-24 known as youth constitute an important component of total population of a country. India is a very old country with a very young population with about one third of its total population coming under the age group 15-24.The dynamics of mobility of the youth in the developing countries in general and India in particular is an area less explored and understood. Therefore, the major objectives of the present paper are to understand the inter-state spatial mobility pattern of the youth in India, to analyse the various characteristics of youth migrants along with reasons of migration and lastly to establish the possible linkage between youth migration and economic development in India. The study is entirely based on the information provided by the census on migration as well as various other secondary sources. The regional disparity in development leads to the inter-state flow of migration streams. Youths from economically backward states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrate to more prosperous states like Maharashtra and Delhi. For the male, employment and education are found to be the two most important reasons of youth migration in India while marriage is still the most important reason of female migration.