Could India's Economic Slump Lead to De-Urbanization?

For many years, the astounding urban migration taking place across the developing world has been a notable global trend. But India's economic slowdown may put a dent in urbanization projections as inhabitants leave cities in search of work.

January 9, 2014, 7am PST | Jonathan Nettler | @nettsj

"Some 90 million Indians have migrated from from [sic] farms to cities in the last 10 years, part of a global tide of urbanization that has helped lift many developing nations out of poverty," writes Adam Pasick. "But a dire slump in the Indian economy is threatening to reverse the tide, and send poor, unemployed migrants back to the countryside in search of work."

Though some observers are bullish on the country's prospects for continued urbanization, "India’s Crisil Research projects that 12 million people will return to low-productivity farm jobs by 2019 because of a lack of economic opportunities in the manufacturing sector, unless the government carries out long-debated labor market reforms and improves crucial infrastructure."

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India’s economic woes are so dire that millions may de-urbanize

Published on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 in Quartz