EMIGRATION: Migration that leaves one country for another country. This is the other side of immigration. While immigration is people moving into a country, emigration is people moving out. People emigrate for the same reasons they migrate in general, to improve their lot in life. Emigration can be a problem for a country that's not highly developed because those who leave are often the "best and the brightest." As such, a country that's struggling to advance often finds itself left with unskilled, uneducated labor--the poorest of the poor who can't afford to leave.

     See also | migration | immigration | living standard | geographic mobility |