ABSTRACT

The population of any area with unchanging boundaries can increase in only two ways: through an excess of births over deaths and through an excess of immigrants over emigrants. Migrant fertility has been found to be higher than non-migrant in some, about the same in others and lower than non-migrant in others. The selectivity model stresses the existence of group fertility differences in the place of origin and the likelihood that these differences will be unequally reflected in the types of people who migrate. From a socio-psychological perspective, migration can be highly disruptive and unsettling for the individual migrant. In ideal circumstances, investigation of the relation between migration and fertility would be carried out on the basis of comprehensive individual histories of migration and fertility behavior, supplemented by appropriate information on background characteristics at different points in the life course. Migrant fertility also varies with destination type.