---
title: "Push-Pull Theory of Migration: Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "The push-pull theory of migration explains how adverse conditions drive people away while favorable ones attract them, crucial for UPSC GS1 demography."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/push-pull-theory-of-migration"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The push-pull theory explains migration as the combined effect of adverse conditions repelling people from origin areas and favourable conditions attracting them to destinations.
- Who originated the push-pull theory of migration?
- How does push-pull theory differ from the Harris-Todaro model?
- What are the main criticisms of push-pull theory?
- Why does the theory matter for UPSC GS Paper I?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The push-pull theory explains migration as the combined effect of adverse conditions repelling people from origin areas and favourable conditions attracting them to destinations.

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When civil war intensified in Syria after 2011, push factors of conscription and collapsing services combined with the pull of Germany's asylum regime, which Chancellor Angela Merkel opened to Syrian applicants in August 2015.

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