Causes and Determinants of Reverse Migration Flows in Iran

The result of censuses show emergence of new current of internal migration with the form of reverse migration. For recognition and better analysis of reverse migration, 12100 reverse migrants in relation to determinants and causes of migration with 23700 metropolis migrants taken from two percent sample of 1390 census have been studied comparatively. Due to the different nature and bio-environmental features of the rural areas and different infrastructure, economic, commercial and political situations of metropolis the reverse migrants who entered rural areas of various states and migrants who entered metropolis (Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz, Shiraz, Ahvaz and Ghom) have diverse social and economic reasons for their migration. The most difference between the two groups of migrants is due to immigration caused by military service that the percentage for reverse immigrants is much higher than that of immigrants to metropolises. The kind of immigrant job is the most important explanation of probability of occurrence of the type of immigration in this study. Focusing on basic differences of reverse migrants and metropolis migrants and also within each of these migrants, we can propose policies for reasonable spatial distribution of population in rural and metropolitan areas in Iran.