Urban-Rural Migration

This report examines migration from urban districts to rural districts and fringe districts in a period of economic prosperity and in a later period of economic crisis. The report focuses especially on highly educated people and on socially vulnerable people. The report defines the latter as people receiving unemployment benefits or early retirement benefits.
The report is based on register data about Danes aged between 17 and 64 in the period 2002 to 2010, and partly also on a number qualitative interviews with highly educated people and socially vulnerable people who have moved to rural and fringe districts, as well as with relevant key personnel in local government. The report examines both trends and patterns in migration as well as reasons for migration.
The results of the report indicate that rural districts - and, in particular, fringe districts - are faced with challenges, both with regard to attracting the highly educated workforce and with regard to a relatively large migration of people on public benefits.
The survey was financed by Landdistriktspuljen (rural district pool) under the Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs