The number of people moving in and out of urban and rural areas varies markedly across the different types of area categories. The largest flows of people between the area types were those who had moved between main urban areas and rural areas. In 2006, 47 percent of people who had moved out of main urban areas had moved to rural and other areas (62,700 people), whereas 45 percent had moved from main urban to secondary or minor urban areas, and 8 percent had moved to rural centres.
The increase in number of people who had moved out of main urban areas was partly compensated by an increase in the number of people who had moved from rural and other areas to main urban areas. During each of the four five-year periods between 1991 and 2006, around 60 percent of people who moved out of rural and other areas moved to main urban areas and just 7 percent moved to rural centres.
Figure 4
Overall, the main urban areas gained population through internal migration from both secondary and minor urban areas, but in 2006 these net gains had reduced to just 4,600 from 13,300 in 2001. The net loss in population to main urban areas from rural areas was 6,000 in 2006. This compared with net losses to main urban areas of 22,700 in 1996 and 10,900 in 2001 from moves between main urban and rural areas (that is, rural centre, and rural and other area combined).
Figure 5
As indicated by the graph below, the overall net population gain or loss to each of the urban area categories through internal migration between 2001 and 2006 resulted in net losses to main (1,400) and minor urban areas (5,000), and to rural centres (3,200). These net losses have been offset by a small net gain to secondary urban areas (200) and a significant net gain to rural and other areas (9,300). However, in 2006, the net losses and gains to the urban and rural areas were much reduced compared with 10 years ago. Between 1991 and 1996, urban areas and rural centres had net internal migration losses that compensated a significant net gain of 33,700 to rural and other areas.
Figure 6
