Urban-rural migration: A decisions in favour of “the rural” or against “the urban”?

Since the mid-2010s, rural areas in Germany have recorded positive internal migration balances. During this time, migration flows from large cities have led not only to their suburban surroundings, but also to more distant rural areas. This trend intensified in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper ‘Urban-rural migration in Germany: A decision in favour of “the rural” or against “the urban”?’, which has now been published in the Journal of Rural Studies, examines the main reasons for this. The article utilizes data from population registers starting with the year 2000 and from a Germany-wide population survey focusing on internal migration in the period 2015–2020.

Our results show that migration decisions in favour of rural areas go hand in hand with a preference for rurality and a desire for home ownership, but this is only one side of the coin. Additionally, the structural conditions in tight metropolitan housing markets play a key role. Interestingly, the international debate on ‘counterurbanisation’ has so far attached little importance to such structural factors. In contrast, the much-claimed importance of the pandemic as a factor to leave cities in favour of rural areas has not played a role in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Life-course events, such as starting or expanding a family, continue to be of great importance for residential relocations.

Reference:
Steinführer A, Osterhage F, Tippel C, Kreis J, Moldovan A (2024) Urban-rural migration in Germany: A decision in favour of 'the rural' or against 'the urban'? Journal of Rural Studies 111:103431, DOI:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103431

The paper is one outcome of the research project KoBaLd which was funded by the Rural Development Programme (BULE).

Contact: Dr. Annett Steinführer