Concepts and definitions (cont.)
Gross vs. net migration
Gross migration is the total flow of migrants across a border, i.e. in-migrants + out-migrants, or in the case of international migration, immigrants + emigrants.
Net migration is the difference between the inward and outward flows of migration, i.e. in-migrants – out-migrants or immigrants -- emigrants.
If there are more people moving into an area than leaving it, net migration will be positive. If there are more people leaving an area than entering it then net migration will be negative.