Internal educational and economic migration and the presence of universities in Peru

Guevara C.; Ruiz M.R.-L.; Herrera-Hinojosa J.L. · Miscellanea Geographica (2026) · DOI: 10.2478/mgrsd-2025-0049

Resumen

Internal migration patterns are influenced by inherent individual factors and the specific characteristics of the localities. This study analyses how the presence of universities in cities affects the probability of people migrating across departments in Peru for educational and economic reasons. We combined data on universities on the SUNEDU Register at the department level, from 2009 to 2022, with data on individuals from the National Household Survey. To distinguish between educational and economic migration, two samples were used: households comprising members of higher education age and the whole population. Using this data, logistic econometric models were estimated, including and excluding the Lima Metropolitan area. Our findings suggest that the presence of universities induces both educational migration and migration in general. In addition, our results verify the hypothesis that both universities and the economic development of regions drive migration. However, they do not reinforce each other to influence migration.

Instituciones: Universidad del Pacífico