ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on young populations and investigates the complexities in the changing spatial distribution of this age group and the implications of this for population ageing. It reviews global trends in the distribution of the population aged and the implications for spatial variability in the distribution of older populations and also the incidence of population ageing. The imperfect correlation between the proportions of older people to younger people across the globe can be explained by countries being at different stages in the demographic transition. Indeed, youth out-migration has been a prevailing trend of rural communities for many decades. While many authors have focused on one or two drivers' of youth migration there is general agreement that both structural and motivational factors influence youth migrations. The two case studies consider how these structural and motivational factors have influenced youth migrations and expectations of place in rural Australia.
