Education, Development and Internal Migration in Iran

Theoretical models and experimental evidence demonstrate a complex. multi-dimensional and mutual relationship between education and migration. Internal migration plays an and movements in Iran. On the other hand, education has an important role in decision making and migrating. The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between education and internal migration using the micro- (or individual-) and aggregate-level data from the 2016 census. The results indicated that the inter-county migration balance has been negative for about three-fourths of the counties between 2011 and 2016. The results also confirm that there is a positive correlation between higher education and net migration rates. However, the association between education and net migration varies in different developmental contexts.; in less developed counties, a higher proportion of highly educated population is associated with a more negative NMR. In contrast, in more developed counties, a higher proportion of highly educated population is associated with a more positive NMR. In addition, the analysis of micro-level data showed that the internal migration intensity increases with an increase in the level of educational. So that, the migration intensity is ten time larger for those with a PhD degree, compared to illiterates. In migration balance, thus, more-developed counties gain more human capital and less developed counties, on the other hand, lose their highly educated population and human capital. The continuation of this condition is expected to lead to more socio-regional inequalities.