by Laura Howard

Created on: February 20, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

It's a global phenomenon. People are leaving their home countries every day. It's called Emigration. And emigration is...what, exactly? Well, it's the same as immigration, but seen from the point of view of the country that has been left behind, instead of the country that we move to. It's mainly voluntary, but occasionally people are forcibly moved out of their country. Emigration is usually prompted by the need or desire for improved economical or social conditions, and hence, a better life. Millions of people leave their home countries every year, each with their own reasons. In 2006, there were 191 million international migrants in the world (me being one of them), up 15 million from 2000. If there are so many people emigrating every year, then what's making them leave?

Why do people emigrate?
People emigrate for every reason under the sun. It may be the promise of a better life, it may be because their home country is a war zone. These factors are divided up into what we call push and pull factors. Push factors are things such as the need to escape war and fighting, family problems, disease/poverty, and lack of employment. These reasons 'push' people out of their countries in search of something better. Pull factors are things that 'attract' people to the new country. These can be reasons such as new job opportunities, a better salary, a better lifestyle, new adventures and challenges (this particular one was my personal reason for emigrating), better standards of life and so on. With emigration, the case of "the grass is always greener" comes into play. People seem to think that all their problems will be solved if they move to another country. Sadly, this is not the case. Every country has its own set of problems and you must work at them to fullfill your new life. This brings me onto my next section.

We all know that there is no magic solution to our problems. There are positive and negative points to every situation, and emigration is no stranger to that. People might move for a better standard of education for their children. They might emigrate because they've been offered the job of a lifetime and the promise of more money. A lot of (especially british) people move to another country for a different climate and environment. Cold, wet and windy winters (and summers) are a big push and pull factor for people who want to move to a sunny, hot and breezy country. Many people move to pursue a better lifestyle, whether it be surfing the waves instead of surfing

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