Migration and the growth of metropolitan areas in the third world.

"The purpose of the present paper [is] to investigate further the role of migration in developing countries by analyzing the components of population growth in 26 large metropolitan areas in Africa, Asia, and Latin America." The process of urban population growth is first described. Then, using data from censuses and official U.N. sources, the author examines the relative importance of migration and natural increase in urban growth and in the growth of the largest urban areas. The focus is primarily on the period 1960-1970. Consideration is also given to "estimates of the natural increase of migrants after their arrival in the city in order to assess the full effect of net migration on metropolitan growth, analyses of the relationships between the components of growth and several structural variables and, finally, a discussion of the results." The importance of migration as a factor affecting urban growth is noted.