Migration and the primacy of Bangkok - article ; n°1 ; vol.3, pg 79-86

Netnapis Nakavachara

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Espace, populations, sociétés - Année 1985 - Volume 3 - Numéro 1 - Pages 79-86
La migration en Thaïlande et la suprématie de Bangkok
La principale caractéristique de l'urbanisation en Thaïlande est apparemment la concentration humaine dans la seule ville de Bangkok. En 1980, la capitale de la Thaïlande regroupait 62% de l'ensemble de la population urbaine, ce qui signifie une population 31 fois supérieure à celle de Chiangmai considérée jusqu'alors comme la seconde plus grande ville du royaume. Bangkok représente donc au monde un des exemples les plus frappants de la suprématie démographique d'une ville.
La migration est une composante primordiale de la croissance rapide et du développement régulier de la métropole. En ce qui concerne les revenus et la disponibilité des services publics, il y a d'énormes disparités entre Bangkok et le reste du pays, ce qui explique la venue vers la métropole de jeunes gens généralement instruits et originaires de régions rurales.
Le gouvernement Thaï a pris conscience de cette inégale répartition géographique de la population et s'inquiète de la détérioration écologique de la capitale - conséquence inévitable de l'afflux excessif de nouveaux arrivants.
Le gouvernement a opté pour le développement des zones rurales, pour la décentralisation des centres urbains et pour l'expansion régionale par le biais des « pôles de croissance » dans le but de retenir les gens dans les zones rurales et de réorienter les migrants vers les villes secondaires. Cette dernière analyse révèle que Bangkok a besoin de politiques fermes et efficaces pour contrôler l'immigration excessive qu'elle subit et de résoudre rapidement cette crise écologique à laquelle elle se trouve confrontée.
8 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: ESPACE-_POPULATIONS-_SOCIETES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1985
• Nombre de lectures: 28
• Langue: English

Extrait

Netnapis Nakavachara
Migration and the primacy of Bangkok
In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1985-1. Migrations et urbanisation - Migrations and cities. pp. 79-86.
Résumé
La migration en Thaïlande et la suprématie de Bangkok
La principale caractéristique de l'urbanisation en Thaïlande est apparemment la concentration humaine dans la seule ville de
Bangkok. En 1980, la capitale de la Thaïlande regroupait 62% de l'ensemble de la population urbaine, ce qui signifie une
population 31 fois supérieure à celle de Chiangmai considérée jusqu'alors comme la seconde plus grande ville du royaume.
Bangkok représente donc au monde un des exemples les plus frappants de la suprématie démographique d'une ville.
La migration est une composante primordiale de la croissance rapide et du développement régulier de la métropole. En ce qui
concerne les revenus et la disponibilité des services publics, il y a d'énormes disparités entre Bangkok et le reste du pays, ce qui
explique la venue vers la métropole de jeunes gens généralement instruits et originaires de régions rurales.
Le gouvernement Thaï a pris conscience de cette inégale répartition géographique de la population et s'inquiète de la
détérioration écologique de la capitale - conséquence inévitable de l'afflux excessif de nouveaux arrivants.
Le a opté pour le développement des zones rurales, pour la décentralisation des centres urbains et pour
l'expansion régionale par le biais des « pôles de croissance » dans le but de retenir les gens dans les zones rurales et de
réorienter les migrants vers les villes secondaires. Cette dernière analyse révèle que Bangkok a besoin de politiques fermes et
efficaces pour contrôler l'immigration excessive qu'elle subit et de résoudre rapidement cette crise écologique à laquelle elle se
trouve confrontée.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Nakavachara Netnapis. Migration and the primacy of Bangkok. In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1985-1. Migrations et
urbanisation - Migrations and cities. pp. 79-86.
doi : 10.3406/espos.1985.1007
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/espos_0755-7809_1985_num_3_1_1007POPULATIONS SOCIÉTÉS 1985-1 pp. 79-85 ESPACE
Une métropole isolée ou des villes
moyennes:
un contraste majeur
Metropolis or medium-size cities:
a major contrast
MIGRATION
AND THE PRIMACY OF BANGKOK
Netnapis (Chulalongkorn NAKAVACHARA Bangkok, University, Thaïlande)
In the past twenty years, urbanization in Thailand has assumed increasing importance.
Particularly noteworthy is the very rapid population growth of the Bangkok Metropolis
the capital of the nation which is known as one of the most primate cities in the world.
The Bangkok Metropolis, being the political, financial, commercial, education and
industrial capital of the nation as well as the focus of the nation's transportion system,
has attracted a continuing influx of migrants from rural areas. They constitute an import
ant element in contributing to its high rate of growth, and to its serious urban problems.
An attempt was made to analyse the pattern of urbanization as well as the extent of
migration as a factor in the primacy of the Bangkok Metropolis. Current policies adopted
by the government that could influence the volume and direction of population flows was
also examined.
THE PRIMACY OF BANGKOK
Thailand is primarily a rural country with the exception of Bangkok. In 1980 approxi
mately 83 percent of the population lived outside municipal areas in the so-called rural
areas. Comparing the four regions, the North-eastern is the most rural, with 96 per cent
of its population in the sector, while the Southern is the least rural with only 87.4 per cent. 80 ESPACE POPULATIONS SOCIÉTÉS 1985-1
The percentage of rural population is also as high as 90 when excluding Bangkok from
the central region.
Though the level of urbanization in Thailand as defined by the proportion of the total
population living in municipal areas remains quite low, it increased consistently from 12.5
percent in 1960 to 13.2 in 1970 and to 17.3 in 1980. Again with the exception of Bangkok,
there have been very slight shifts towards the urban sector. Table 1 clearly indicates that
Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban structure, and has made an important contri
bution to the overall level of the country's urbanization.
Concentration in the single city of the Bangkok Metropolis is the principal character
istic of urbanization in Thailand. In 1980, accounted for 62.4 per
cent of the total national urban population. This percentage increased from 53.2 percent
and 55.9 percent in 1960 and 1970 respectively (Table 2).
Table 1 - Distribution of rural and urban population by region, 1960, 1970 and 1980
(Numbers in thousands)
I9601 19702 19803
Région
Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban
North 5,356 367 7,049 440 8,279 666
(93.6) (6.4) (94.1) (5.9) (92.5) (7.5)
445 618 North-East 8,679 312 11,580 14,843
(96.5) (3.5) (96.3) (3.7) (96.0) (4.0)
Central 3,213 8,627 5,661 6,006 2,265 7,399
(72.6) (27.4) (69.7) (30.3) (60.1) (39.6)
5,570 564 6,817 718 8,627 950 Central, excluding Bangkok
(9.2) (9.5) (90.1) (90.8) (90.5) (9.9)
South 2,943 329 3,817 455 4,882 702
(10.1) (10.7) (87.4) (12.6) (89.9) (89.3)
Whole Kingdom 22,984 3,274 29,844 4,553 36.631 7,647
(87.5) (12.5) (86.8) (13.2) (82.7) (17.3)
Sources:
1 1960 Population Census, Whole Kingdom, Bangkok, National Statistical Office.
2 1970 and Housing Census, Whole Kingdom, Bangkok, National Statistical Office, 1973.
3 Preliminary Report, 1980 Population and Housing Census, Bangkok, National Office, 1982.
The primacy of Bangkok was also emphasized by the disparity in size between the
Bangkok Metropolis and the second largest city in the kingdom "Chiangmai". In 1980, was 51 times larger than Chiangmai. However it is important to note that the
high primacy index for 1980 was in part due to the redesignation of the Bangkok Metrop
olitan area in 1972, which included the combination of the twin cities and Thon-
buri as well as the expansion of their municipal boundaries to cover the total areas of both
cities. Bangkok gained approximately 700,000 persons through this annexation.
As for the change in the annual rate of urban growth of the nation, during 1970-80,
it was 5.3 per cent which is just above the average of the world's less developed countries, m
Table 2 - The ten largest urban places, 1960, 1970 and 1979
(in thousands)
1970 I960 1979
Population Place Population Place Rank Place Population
Bangkok- Bangkok- 1 Bangkok- 2,914 1,800 5,000
Thon Buri (C) Thon Buri (C) Metropolis (C)
67 Chiang Mai (N) 89 98 2 Chiang Mai (N) Chiang Mai (N)
3 Nakhon 45 Nakhon 82 Hat Yai (S) 92
Ratchasima (NE) Ratchasima (N)
65 4 Hat Yai (S) 36 Phitsanulok (N) Kon Kaen (NE) 90
Udon Thani (NE) 36 55 Nakhon 89 5 Lampang (N)
Ratchasima (NE)
54 6 Nakhon Sawan (N) 34 Hat Yai (S) Nakhon Sawan (N) 86
7 Ayuthaya (C) 34 Nakhon Sawan (N) 49 Udon Thani (NE) 79
8 Chon Buri (C) 33 Songkhla (S) 46 75 Songkhla (S)
Nakhon 45 9 Phitsanulok (N) 33 74 Phitsanulok (N) *
Si Thammarat (S)
Chon Buri (C) 10 Songkhla (S) 31 Nakhon 65 45
Si Thammarat
Total Total 2,150 3,445 Total 5,748
5,214 Total urban population 3,378 8,014
Percentage in largest place 53.3 55.9 62.4 in 10 largest places 63.6 66.1 71.7
32.4 26.9 51.1 Two-city primacy index
Source:The 1960 data are taken from Sidney Goldstein, "Urbanization in Thailand, 1947-1967", Demography, volume 8, 1971, p. 21.
1970 and 1979 data are taken from the unpublished data from the household registration system. 82 ESPACE POPULATIONS SOCIÉTÉS 1985-1
whereas during 1960-70, it was 3.4 per cent. The figures also indicate that the growth of
urban population exceeded that of rural population during these two decades, and that
the tempo of urbanization increased from 0.6 during 1960-70 to 3.2 in 1970-80.
Comparing the regions, the average annual growth rate of the urban population was
highest in the Central region around 5.7 per cent in 1970-80. However, when excluding
Bangkok from region, the growth rate dropped to 2.8 per cent. These figures con
firm the conclusion that Bangkok dominates the country's urban system and is responsi
ble for the substantial regional differences in urbanization and urban growth between the
Central region and the other regions.
SOURCES OF URBAN GROWTH
An examination of the components of the regional growth rates in Thailand reveals
that net migration has played a substantial role in the growth of some regions, particularly
in the Bangkok Metropolis. The rate of natural increase in Bangkok is not very different
from the national average. However, because of the high rate of net in-migration, the Bang
kok Metropolis grew rapidly during 1955-75, while out-migration slowed down the overall
growth rates of some regions such as the North-Eastern.
MIGRATION AND SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MIGRANTS
Over the last twe