Monitor for secondary migration

In this monitor we study persons with refugee background that have been settled in a municipality and whether they either remain in their first municipality of residence or migrate. For each year we see changes in what groups who remain settled in the first municipality and who migrate. We will analyze where and when these people were settled the first time, where they came from and where they move to in addition to demographic aspects like gender and age.

The pattern with increasingly less migration among persons with refugee background continues, but the increase is slowing down. In previous editions of this monitor we have seen a noticeable decline in migrations between the 2001- and 2003-cohorts and the decrease continues at a more moderate pace.

Of the 5 000 persons with immigrant background settled in 2007, 77 per cent were still living in their first municipality of residence five years later, as of 1 January 2012. For the 2008-cohort, the corresponding figures are 78 per cent of 6 000 persons with refugee background. These are the highest shares of any cohort (figures date back to the 1995 cohort), and a small increase from the 2006-cohort (76 per cent).

Both the total number of persons with refugee background and which countries they came from have varied greatly in the period 2003-2012. The largest groups are from Somalia, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iraq. Most of the Iraqis were settled early in the period, while Eritreans mainly arrived in 2008-2012. Somalis have been among the largest groups every year and is the largest group overall.

Oslo has the greatest in-migration of persons with refugee background among the counties, but the decrease in migration is also reflected in fewer migrating to Oslo.

Persons with refugee background are at first settled in less central municipalities than the rest of the population. After five years, migrations have affected their distribution and they live in more central areas than the total population. People with refugee background migrate from municipalities with few inhabitants that are located remote from larger cities and to the more densely populated areas.

The migration pattern of persons with refugee background is not as dependent on age as for the rest of the population. Persons between 18 and 24 years of age migrate most frequently, but not to same degree as the rest of the population in this age group. The youngest and oldest persons with refugee background migrate much more frequent than the corresponding age groups in the total population. Men with refugee background still migrate more than women, but the difference is decreasing.

The decrease in migration is not reflected in migrations between districts in Oslo. Almost every second person with refugee background who was settled in Oslo in 2007 and 2008 moved to a different district within 5 years. The migration between districts in Oslo is significantly higher than the migration between municipalities.