Bihar & Its Migration Model
- Alakh N Sharma
- Nov 10, 2025, 20:26 IST IST
65% of households have a migrant. Their remittances are 50% of a household’s income. Outmigration tripled Bihar’s rural wages, ended exploitative relations. Manufacturing employs just 5%. And it’s impossible for the state to create enough jobs for its growing youth population. In 2025, 12.8L completed secondary school. And 27% of the population is below 15
Political parties call for a halt to outmigration every assembly election. Much debate follows. All of it oblivious to Bihar’s historical development experience and reality. Migration from Bihar dates to colonial times, when the British sent peasants and workers as indentured labour to Fiji, Mauritius and Caribbean countries. Many Biharis also moved to Calcutta and Assam’s tea gardens.
After Independence, data on migration remained inadequate to reflect different types of population movements. Census and National Sample Surveys poorly captured its magnitude, especially short-term and seasonal flows. Therefore, it was unsurprising that people were shocked by the sheer massive numbers of migrants – mostly from central and eastern India – who headed back as Covid lockdowns kicked in.
After Independence, data on migration remained inadequate to reflect different types of population movements. Census and National Sample Surveys poorly captured its magnitude, especially short-term and seasonal flows. Therefore, it was unsurprising that people were shocked by the sheer massive numbers of migrants – mostly from central and eastern India – who headed back as Covid lockdowns kicked in.
