Why do large cities tend to attract more migrants than smaller towns? Discuss in the light of conditions in developing countries.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Explain the pull of large cities over small towns for migrants, rooted in the economic, social and governance conditions typical of developing countries.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Explain why large cities pull more migrants than small towns
- Discuss this in the light of conditions in developing countries: rural push, weak small towns, legacy and consequences, with a way forward
Open with · UN DESA (2018) projects 68% of the world to live in cities by 2050, close to 90% of the increase in Asia and Africa; in India, Census 2011 found 42.6% of urban people in 53 million-plus cities.
Cover
- Visual: a hub of the big city's pulls — jobs, services, networks, aspirations — with rural push behind them.
- Jobs: agglomeration economies and a vast informal sector; better job opportunities are the chief pull factor (NCERT).
- Services and networks: urban bias concentrates hospitals, universities and transport; chain migration lowers costs.
- Aspirations and anonymity: escape from caste hierarchy and village surveillance; freedom for women and youth.
- Developing-country conditions: rural push; weak small towns with poor municipal finance; colonial legacy of primacy; slums and strained services.
- Nuance: UN DESA notes some of the fastest-growing agglomerations have under 1 million people.
- Way forward: ARHCs (2020) and PMAY-U 2.0's rental vertical for urban migrants; strengthen small and medium towns.
Close with · Migration follows opportunity; seeding it in small and medium towns turns urbanisation from a crush on a few metros into a spread of growth.
Add value (verified)
- Census 2011: 160.7 million people, 42.6% of India's urban population, lived in the 53 million-plus urban agglomerations and cities.Cities and Towns — Arthapedia, Indian Economic Service (Government of India) ↗“160.7 millionpersons (or 42.6% of the urban population) live in these Million Plus UAs/Cities as per Census 2011”
- UN DESA (2018): 68% of the world population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% of the increase in Asia and Africa.68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN — UN DESA (16 May 2018) ↗“close to 90% of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa”
- UN DESA (2018): some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many in Asia and Africa.68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN — UN DESA (16 May 2018) ↗“some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa”
- Union Cabinet (8 Jul 2020) approved Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for urban migrants/poor as a sub-scheme of PMAY-U.Cabinet approves developing of Affordable rental housing Complexes for urban migrants / poor — PIB (8 Jul 2020) ↗“The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for developing of Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (AHRCs) for urban migrants / poor as a sub-scheme under Pradhan MantriAwasYojana – Urban (PMAY – U)”
- PMAY-U 2.0's Affordable Rental Housing vertical will create rental housing for working women, industrial workers, urban migrants, the homeless and students.Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 Scheme — PIB ↗“This vertical will create adequate rental housing for working women/industrial workers/ urban migrants/homeless/destitute”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2024, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 224words · Minimalist IAS
UN DESA (2018) projects 68% of humanity in cities by 2050, close to 90% of the increase in Asia and Africa. In India, Census 2011 put 42.6% of urban people in just 53 million-plus cities.
Why large cities attract more
Big-city pull: jobs; services; networks; aspirations; rural push
- Jobs: agglomeration and a vast informal sector offer work to almost anyone; NCERT names better jobs a chief pull factor.
- Services: hospitals, universities and transport cluster in metros through urban bias in investment.
- Networks: chain migration via kin, caste and village links cuts housing and job costs.
- Aspirations: anonymity frees people from caste hierarchy; women and youth gain freedom.
Conditions in developing countries
- Rural push: tiny holdings, disguised unemployment and climate shocks push people to the biggest labour markets.
- Weak small towns: poor municipal finance, little industry, census towns governed as villages.
- Legacy of primacy: colonial ports and capitals got infrastructure first; investment still follows it.
- Result: slums, congestion, strained services; yet UN DESA notes some fastest-growing agglomerations are under 1 million.
Way forward
- Rental housing: Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (2020) and PMAY-U 2.0's rental vertical house migrants near work.
- Small towns: municipal finance, industry and services for small and medium towns.
Migration follows opportunity; seeding it in small and medium towns turns urbanisation from a crush on a few metros into a spread of growth.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
