National Statistics Office to conduct survey on migration during July 2026-June 2027
To ensure the comprehensiveness and usefulness of the forthcoming Survey on Migration, the NSO has initiated the process of developing the survey instruments.
The National Statistics Office of the Government of India plans to conduct a year-long survey covering almost the entire country from July 2026, with the aim to find out the rate of migration, out-migration, short-term migration as well as the reasons for migration and the net migration that is taking place.
The exercise will run from July 2026 to June 2027, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on November 13.
The ministry has released a concept note and invited feedback on it by November 30.
The forthcoming Survey on Migration is expected to provide comprehensive and up-to-date data on the extent and patterns of migration—both rural–urban and inter-state—along with reasons for migration, duration of stay, return migration, employment and income profiles of migrants, and the impact of migration on households left behind. The results will be instrumental in understanding labour mobility, urbanisation trends, remittance flows, and the social and economic integration of migrant populations, the ministry said.
Such information will greatly benefit policymakers, planners, researchers, and development practitioners by enabling more targeted interventions in areas such as urban planning, housing, transportation, employment generation, social security, and skill development. The data will also help in assessing the implications of migration for inclusive growth and regional development, thereby strengthening India’s socio-economic policy framework.
To ensure the comprehensiveness and usefulness of the forthcoming Survey on Migration, the NSO has initiated the process of developing the survey instruments. The draft schedule has been uploaded on the MoSPI website (www.mospi.gov.in) for wider consultation. Policymakers, researchers, academic institutions, and the general public are invited to review the schedule and share their feedback or suggestions on its structure, content, and coverage.
This will be the first stand-alone, full-year migration survey since 2007-08. While the Periodic Labour Force Survey captured limited migration particulars in 2020-21, the upcoming survey expands the scope significantly including both long-term migrants and workers who undertake short-term mobility.
The government has also updated several definitions. Short-term migrants will now include individuals who stayed away from their usual residence for 15 days or more but less than six months.
Next year’s survey will see some changes from that conducted in 2007-08. For one, data on entire households migrating will not be collected as this proportion has in the past been very low. Second, a person will now be considered a short-term migrant if they have stayed away from their usual place of residence for between 15 days and six months in the last one year for employment or in search of employment. The previous time-frame was 1-6 months.
The survey will also ask new questions to understand the impact of migration on the person. These questions include the change in income due to migration, if migration led to an improvement in health care, peace and stability, and access to basic amenities, the type of problem faced in the present place of residence, and whether the person intends to move out from the current place.
