THE Rural and Regional Development Ministry found more Malaysians are leaving the cities compared to those migrating to urban place seeking opportunities.

According to the Malaysian migration survey by the Statistics Department, the 2018 migration from urban areas to rural is at 19.5%, said minister Rina Harun.

In comparison, the rural to urban migration rate is only 4.8%, she told the Dewan Rakyat today, responding to an oral question from Noor Amin Ahmad (PH-Kangar).

Some 44% of respondents say family is the biggest factor driving the urban to rural migration while 24% say it is due to their careers.

About 22% say they moved to rural areas to live in a better environment, said Rina.

She added that her ministry is involved in improving infrastructure and socio-economic conditions in rural areas to make them more attractive.

This includes better roads, water and electricity infrastructure, and improving internet access.

“We are also increasing entrepreneurship grants to help rural residents earn an income without having to migrate to towns and cities.

“There are also online marketing programmes to train entrepreneurs to market their products online so they can access customers all over the country, not in their immediate areas.” – December 2, 2019.