Exploring the dynamics of migration to mega-delta cities in Asia and Africa: Contemporary drivers and future scenarios

► We use a content analysis of the published literature to take stock of current understanding of key non-environmental drivers of migration to cities in 11 Asian and African mega-deltas. ► Massive influx of capital to many deltas has transformed the local economic base from a primarily agricultural one to a manufacturing and processing economy. ► The underlying driver of migration to cities in the mega-deltas is uneven spatial economic development. ► Economic factors are often the underlying drivers of migration, but they are mediated by social–political factors. This paper uses a content analysis of the published literature to take stock of current understanding of key social and policy drivers of migration to cities in 11 Asian and African mega-deltas and identifies commonalities and differences among them. The analysis shows that migration to urban centers in mega-deltas is an outcome of many forces: economic policies and incentives, local and destination institutions, government policies to develop small towns, and the geographic concentration of investments. Massive influx of capital to many deltas has transformed the local economic base from a primarily agricultural one to a manufacturing and processing economy. This has created uneven spatial economic development which is the underlying driver of migration to cities in the mega-deltas regardless of geographic context or size. Going forward to 2060, one critical challenge for all the deltas is to increase the labor skill of their workforce and foster technology innovation. Continued economic growth in these regions will require substantial investments in education and capacity building and the ability of urban centers to absorb the migrant labor pool.