Unemployment, Uneven Regional Development And Spatial Patterns of Internal Migration in Iran

Internal migration and movement occur in response to a wide range of factors with different effectiveness. One of the important and key contexts for the formation of internal migration is spatial inequality in facilities, opportunities and development components. In this regard, the article uses the secondary analysis of the 2016 census data at the provincial and county levels to investigate the impact of youth unemployment and unequal regional development on internal migration in Iran. The results showed the spatial clusters of unemployment and underdevelopment in the country and inequality in access to economic and social resources and opportunities on the one hand, and regional differences in migration rates, on the other hand. The highest level of development and the lowest unemployment rate of young people, as well as high immigration in the central regions of the country, especially the capital. In contrast, the western, northwestern, eastern and southeastern border regions have the lowest level of development and the highest unemployment and emigration rates. Therefore, internal migration is a dynamic, multidimensional process that arises from structural conditions and regional inequalities.