Outline: Background: Migration data Migration data in 2011 census and Sources Migration related questions in census schedules, census years 2001-2011 Data availability on international migration in the census Review the quality of census data International Migration Rates Internal Migration and Data Collection Approaches Defining the terms and data sources (Internal Migration) Conclusion References

1. SOURCES OF MIGRATION DATA
(WITH REFERENCE TO 2011 CENSUS)
BY
Tarka Bahadur Thapa
M. Phil 9th Batch
CDPS, TU, Kathmandu.

2. Outline
■ Background: Migration data
■ Migration data in 2011 census and Sources
■ Migration related questions in census schedules, census
years 2001-2011
■ Data availability on international migration in the census
■ Review the quality of census data
■ International Migration Rates
■ Internal Migration and Data Collection Approaches
■ Defining the terms and data sources (Internal Migration)
■ Conclusion
■ References

3. Background: Migration data
The census is a major source of migration data. Two questions in particular
provide invaluable data on migration.
■ Question about ‘Place of birth’ and
The query ‘place of birth’ is the basic and universal question and provides
information mainly on: ‘Non-migrant’, ‘In-migrant’, and ‘Immigrant’
■ The question as to ‘whether all the members of the family are currently
residing at home’.
Similarly, the status of ‘presence at home at the time of enumeration’ gives
information on ‘Absent population’, that is; ‘Abroad’ , ‘Out-migration’ and
internal migration.

4. Background cont.….
■ Data on international migration largely depends on the
government’s policies towards employment in foreign
countries.
■ GoN has adopted a policy to encourage youth to work
abroad.
■ For the first time; information on migration including the
absent population, foreign born population and foreign
citizens, and the basis of measurement of gross and net
migration, using international migration data, are detailed in
a 2011 census report.

5. Background cont.….
■ In the 2011 census, 1,921,494 persons were reported to be ‘Absent’, double
in number as compared to the 2001 census.
■ The ‘Emigration rate’ for 2011 is estimated at 10.77 /1000 populations,
whereas the ‘Immigration rate’ for the same period stands at 0.46/1000
populations.
■ The ‘Gross migration rate’ and the ‘Net migration rate’ are respectively
calculated as 11.23 and -10.32 per thousand populations.
■ In 2001, the percentage of the foreign born population was nearly 2.7% of the
total population, it decreased to 1.8% in 2011.
■ The number of foreign citizens, as recorded by various censuses, shows a
fluctuating trend. Foreign citizens in 2001 were 1.2% of the total population,
which increased to over 3% in 1981, before declining to 0.5% from 1991, the
same figure as recorded in 2011.

6. Migration data was obtained from both complete enumeration (Schedule 1) and sample
enumeration (Schedule 2)
■ Schedule 1 had two categories of questionnaires: ‘Household questionnaire’
(questions 1 -14) and ‘Individual questionnaire’ (questions 1 – 15).
■ Information on ‘absent population by households’ is obtained through Question No.
13 under household category.
■ Similarly, Q. No. 14 gives information on ‘absentee population’ by age and sex, as well
as their status of education, duration of stay abroad (in years), purpose or reasons
for going abroad and the destination country. (This was the first exercise of its kind in
the history of census taking in Nepal)
■ The ‘Purpose or the Reasons for migration’ were close-ended questions, that was,
‘trade’, ‘private job’, ‘institutional job’, ‘study’, ‘conflict’, ‘dependent’, ‘other’ and
‘don’t know’.
(The reason ‘conflict’ was added for the first time in the census history was in light of the
armed conflict that occurred in Nepal from 1996 to 2006)
■ Schedule 1 also provides categories of the households of non-migrants, and
absentees in terms of ‘internal’ and ‘international’.
1. Migration data in 2011 Census and Sources

7. Schedule
1

8. ■ Foreign countries (absent population) were categorized in terms of India, other
SAARC countries, ASIAN countries, the Middle East, other Asian countries,
European Union countries, other European countries, North American countries
(USA and Canada), South American/Caribbean countries, African countries,
Pacific regions and others.
(This categorization carried out for analyzing the 2011 census migration data is the
first attempt of its kind)
■ Question No. 16 specified in Schedule 2 of the sample enumeration schedule
addresses the place of birth. The categories specified are ‘same district’,
‘different district’ and ‘abroad’.
■ Thus, this question provides information on ‘internal migration’, that is, ‘in-
migration’ and ‘out-migration’, and ‘immigration’, that is, ‘foreign born
population’ and ‘foreign citizens’.
Migration data sources cont.…..

9. ■ Similarly, question No. 19 provides information on residence 5 years before,
seeking information on those staying in same district, different districts or
abroad.
■ Information on citizenship was collected from Schedule 1 of the individual
schedule, Question No. 11. This question is asked as to which country the
person is a citizen of. The options given are ‘Nepal’, ‘India’, ‘China’ and
‘Other’.
■ Citizenship of the population by countries is available by sex and age.
■ Similarly, countries of foreign citizens include: India, China, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, other countries of Asia,
Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Australia/New Zealand.
Migration data sources cont.…..

10. Schedule 2

11. Schedule 2 Schedule 1

12. 2. Migration related questions in census schedules, census years
2001-2011
Source:- New Era, 2000; KC, 2008, Cited in Khatiwada,
2014
SN Description of questions 2001 2011
Complete Sample Complete Sample
1 Place of birth Yes Yes
2 Native born Yes Yes
3 Foreign born Yes Yes
4 Duration of residence in present place
(Foreign Born)
5 Duration of residence in present place Yes Yes
6 Reason for residence in present place Yes Yes
7 Place of residence at fixed prior date Yes
8 Absentee population Yes Yes
9 By age, sex Yes Yes
10 By VDC/Municipality Yes

13. Migration related questions cont.…..
SN Description of questions 2001 2011
Complete Sample Complete Sample
11 By education Yes
12 Duration of absence Yes Yes
13 Reason for absence Yes Yes
14 Absent within country but other
district
Yes
15 Destination abroad by sex Yes Yes
16 Age at time of absence Yes Yes
17 Citizenship Yes Yes
18 Nepalese by sex, age Yes Yes
19 Non-Nepalese by sex, age Yes Yes

14. 3. Data availability on international migration in the census report, 2011
Source:- CBS, 2014, Cited in Khatiwada,
2014
S.N. International migration contents Source
National
report I
National
report II
District
report
VDC/Municipality
report (by
district)
1 Absent household and population Table 11 Table 15 Table 1.10
2 Population absent from households by sex, age
at departure and country of destination
Table 16
3 Population absent from households by sex, age
at departure and reason for absence
Table 17
4 Population absent from households by sex, age
at departure, reason for absence and country of
destination
Table 18
5 Absent population from household by sex,
duration of absence and age at departure
Table 19
6 Population absent from household by sex, level of
education and age at departure
Table 20
7 Population by citizenship (Individual) Table 23 &
Table 9
8 Population by place of birth, sex and five year
age groups (Individual)
Table 1 &
Table 21

15. Data availability cont.…..
S.N
.
International migration contents Source
National
report I
National
report II
District
report
VDC/Municipalit
y
report (by
district)
9 Population aged 5 years and above, residing in
enumerated area 5 years ago
Table 5
10 Foreign born population by country of birth, sex and
age groups
Table 25
11 Foreign born population by length of stay in Nepal,
sex and age groups
Table 26
12 Foreign born population by main reason of stay in
Nepal, sex and age groups
Table 27
13 Population aged 5 years and above, residing in
enumerated area by residence 5 years ago, sex and
5 year age groups
Table 28
14 Population 5 years and above by place of residence
prior to 5 years in different districts other than the
enumeration district, by sex and 5 year age groups
Table 29
15 Population 5 years and above by country of Table 30

16. 4. Review the quality of census data
■ Khatiwada (2008), in his report ‘Conflict Induced Migration in Nepal: A Social
Inclusion Perspective’ had recommended to CBS that migration needs to be
internalized from a broader perspective into population census of 2011.
■ Collecting data only on ‘lifetime migration’ cannot generate a great of deal of
information on issues related to migration.
■ It was suggested that migration data based on typologies, such as permanent
and temporary, voluntary and forced, migration and conflict, migration and
trafficking, HIV/AIDS migration and development and migration and politics, be
collected.
■ Some modifications in migration questions based on the recommendations
above have been reflected in the 2011 census such as ‘conflict’ has been placed as
a close-ended reason for migration in the questionnaire.
■ Furthermore, a couple of questions related to migration such as place of residence
at a fixed prior date, migration information by VDC/Municipality, absent within
country but other district, and educational status of absent population have
also been included.

17. 5. International Migration Rates
For the first time, CBS has used the absent population to calculate the emigration rate
and foreign-born population to calculate the immigration rate:
■ Emigration rate (unadjusted):
Defined as the number of emigrants over a given period, divided by the persons-
years lived of the departure country, per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population).
The emigration rate for 2011 is estimated at 10.77 per thousand populations.
■ Immigration rate (unadjusted):
Defined as the number of immigrants over a given period, divided by the person-
years lived by the population of the receiving country over that period (mid-year
population). The immigration rate from Census 2011 data stands at 0.46 per thousand
populations.
■ Gross migration rate (unadjusted):
Defined as the number of immigrants plus the number of emigrants over a period,
divided by the person-years lived by the population (mid-year population) of the
receiving country over that period. The gross migration rate for 2011 is estimated at
11.23 per thousand populations.

18. Rates cont.…..
■ Net migration rate (unadjusted):
Defined as the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants over a
period, divided by the person-years lived by the population (mid-year population) of
the receiving country over that period. The net migration rate for 2011 is estimated at -
10.32 per thousand populations.
■ Absent Population:
The 2011 census also kept records of the absent households. One in every four
households in Nepal (25.4 %; 1.38 million households) reported that at least one
member of its household is absent or is living out of the country. This analysis
shows that the absent population in Nepal is growing rapidly. An overwhelming
majority of these absentees (76 %) are in the age group 15- 34 years .

19. Rates cont.….
■ Foreign-born Population:
Data on both foreign-born population and foreign citizens are available from
the 1961 census. The figures collected so far by the various censuses of Nepal
indicate a fluctuating trend, which may also pose questions about the
reliability of these data. the percentage of foreign-born population of the total
population, was nearly 2.7% in 2001 and decreased to 1.8% in 2011.
■ Foreign Citizen:
The figures of foreign citizens recorded by various censuses also show a
fluctuating trend. Foreign citizens in accounted for 0.5% in 2011.

20. 6. Internal Migration and Data Collection
Approaches
■ Internal migration is associated with change of usual place of residence within the
national boundary.
■ UN (2008) recommended that migration data should be collected through four
approaches:
 place of birth
 Duration of residence
 place of last residence, and
 place of last residence at fixed prior date.
■ a single approach is not sufficient to capture various dimensions of migration.
Therefore, a combination of two or more approaches is generally recommended for
data collection as well as analysis.

21. Approaches cont.….
■ The ‘place of birth approach’ was commonly adopted by the previous three
censuses (1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses) of Nepal for data collection on
internal migration.
■ These censuses, however, are not consistent in supplementing the place of
birth data by other approaches. The 2011 census however corresponded in
terms of all three approaches – place of birth, duration of residence and
residence at fixed prior date – and their operational definitions.

22. 7. Defining the terms and data sources
(Internal Migration)
■ Migration-defining area: The 2011 census had considered districts (there are
75 districts in Nepal) as migration-defining areas. According to this, a person is
classified as a migrant if his/her district of enumeration (current residence) is
different from their district of birth.
■ Native born: In 2011 census, A person who is born in any part of Nepal is
considered as native born even though some of them may also be foreign
citizens. Internal migration analysis is primarily confined to the native born
population only.
■ Lifetime migrants and non-migrants: A person was considered as a ‘lifetime
migrant’ whose current area of residence was different from his area of birth
in this census. ‘Non-migrants’ were those who have not moved from one
migration-defining area to another.

23. Data & Sources cont.….
■ Current migrants: ‘Current migrants’ were considered as those migrants who
migrated during the last one-year period preceding the census. They were
meant as a part of lifetime migrants. Current migration data were generally
analyzed in terms of in-migration rate, out-migration rate, and net migration
rate. The 2011 census counted 160,682 inter-district migrants during the one-
year period preceding the census. Inter-district migration (migrate from one
district to another) rates for the country are estimated to be 6 persons per 1,000
populations.
■ Period migration: In order to understand migration patterns five years before
the census, the 2011 census asked a question on ‘where was [the person]
lived five years ago”? According to this approach, a person was classified as a
migrant if his/her residence at a specified prior date was different from the
current place of residence. This question was asked to all persons aged five
years and above.

24. ■ Migration stream: ‘Migration stream’ referred to a group of migrants having
common origin and destination in a given migration period. For 2011 census,
Based on the type of migration-defining areas; migration streams had been
identified as district-to-district stream, rural to urban stream as well as
based on ecological zones and development regions. The data indicates the
migration stream during the last one-year period preceding the survey.
■ Duration of stay: The 2011 census solicited information on duration of stay
in the place of enumeration by asking a question about “How long [name]
has been staying here”? The question was directed to all persons whose
district of enumeration was different from their district of birth.
■ Reasons for migration: The 2011 census solicited information on seven
main reasons for migration including one more category on “Others”. The
2011 census question on reasons for migration was related to “main reason of
staying in the district of enumeration”.
Data & Sources cont.….

25. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics of
migrants
■ Age-sex composition: Disaggregated data for the migrant (inter-district) and
non-migrant (living in the district of birth) population were analyzed in 2011
census.
■ Educational characteristics by migration status: The 2011 census defined
literacy in terms of a persons’ ability to read and write in any language. The
question was directed to all persons aged five years and above.
■ Occupation by migration status: The census had accounted the classification
of migrants (inter-district) by type of main occupation i.e. Skilled agriculture,
forestry & fishery workers; Service & sale workers; Craft and related trades
workers; Elementary occupations; Professionals etc.
■ Caste/ethnicity and migration: 2011 census also had the data on migration
based on the caste and ethnicity of migrant population.
Data & Sources cont.….

26. Conclusion
■ Censuses particularly from 1950 onward, and some national level surveys (such as the
NLSS) are the major sources of migration data in Nepal.
■ Both these sources include two major questions to obtain information on migration:
 Whereas place of birth is administered in order to obtain information on foreign-
born populations, immigration, and non-migration
 Status of presence is another question that provides information on the absent
population, that is abroad and ‘out-migration’, or internal migration.
■ Since the 1952/54 census, data on the absent population is available in Nepal; whereas
for the foreign born population, migration data are available from the 1961 census
onwards.
■ Almost all these censuses have collected migration information in terms of sex, and
broad age groups (0-15 years, 15-59 years and 60 years and above).
■ Since the 2001 census, data on migration were collected by complete enumeration and
sample enumeration. Whereas place of birth was enumerated by sample schedule for
native born and foreign born in both the 2001 and 2011 censuses,
■ Information on the absent population by households was obtained through complete
enumeration in both census.

27. Reference:
■ CBS (2014). Population Monograph of Nepal Vol I.
Kathmandu: CBS, Chapter IX and X

28. Thank
You