Understand the causes of rapid urbanisation in LIDCs, including the push and pull factors of rural-urban migration and internal growth
Urbanisation in LIDCs
Most Advanced Countries have already urbanised; LIDCs are now the focus for much of the world’s urbanisation. There are two main causes of this:
Rural-urban migration
Internal growth
Rural–urban migration
Rural-urban migration is the movement of people from the countryside to the cities. It is affected by rural PUSH factors (the things that force people from the countryside) and urban PULL factors (the things that attract people to the city).
Internal growth
This is when the birth rate is higher than the death rate, so the population will rise. It is often young adults that migrate to cities, usually to find work. Young adults are more likely to have children, meaning that the urban population grows. Also, since cities in LIDCs tend to have better health care than rural areas, the death rate will be lower; combined with the higher birth rate this means the urban population grows rapidly.