Chuuk State Census Report - pacificweb.org

Chapter 6. Migration2000 FSM Census of Chuuk StateConclusionsThe data in the 2000 Census show that internal and international migrations affect the population dynamics of Chuuk.The census covered internal and interstate migration reasonably well. International migration was only covered tosome extend.For internal migration, the 2000 Census data showed the direction of migration flows was principally toward theLagoon. The Lagoon was the only net receiving region, gaining migrants from the Outer Islands. In turn, the outerislands lost people. The annual internal migration rate for the Lagoon decreased from 2.2 per thousand to 1.2 perthousand between period 1989 to 1994 and 1995 to 2000. The annual internal migration rate for the Outer Islands alsodecreased from –7.6 per thousand in 1994 to –3.6 per thousand in the year 2000.For interstate migration, Pohnpei is the main destination of Chuukese who were migrating to other FSM states in bothperiods. Also, more than half of the in-migrants to Chuuk from the other FSM states hailed from Pohnpei. The annualinterstate net migration rate for Chuuk was about –13 per thousand for period 1995 to 2000, increasing from –8 perthousand for period 1989 to 1994.For international migration, the number of non-FSM persons in Chuuk declined over the 10 years before the currentcensus. Pacific Islanders was the largest group of non-FSM migrants to Chuuk in 2000, whereas in the 1994 the largestgroup was Asian. This shift was due largely to the dissolution of the foreign fishing venture in the intercensal period.In effect, generalizations about international migration are difficult to find. All the same, it may be well conclusive torecognize that shifts in international migration may be affected significantly by economic and political changes notonly in Chuuk but also elsewhere in Micronesia.56 Chuuk Branch Statistics Office, Division of Statistics, FSM Department of Economic Affairs