Net Migration Rate is defined as what?

• A. Emigration rate minus immigration rate
• B. Immigration rate minus emigration rate
• C. Net growth of population due to births
• D. The total of immigration and emigration rates

Answer: (B)

Net Migration Rate measures the balance of people moving into a country and those leaving it, usually expressed per 1,000 people per year. It is found by subtracting the number of people who emigrate from the number who immigrate. When immigration exceeds emigration, the net migration rate is positive and contributes to population growth beyond births; when emigration exceeds immigration, the rate is negative and can offset natural increase. The other ideas either reverse the subtraction, refer to births rather than migration, or simply add the two flows without showing the balance, which doesn’t capture the net effect of migration on the population. In Canada, a positive net migration rate has often been a key contributor to overall population growth.