If net migration is negative, what is the likely effect on population?

• A. The population will increase.
• B. The population will stay the same.
• C. The population will become more youthful.
• D. The population will decrease or growth will slow; age structure may become older.

Answer: (D)

Negative net migration means more people are leaving than entering, so the population size falls directly. Even if births stay the same, fewer people in the country means slower overall population growth or a decline. Because many migrants are young adults, removing them from the population tends to tilt the age structure toward older ages, i.e., aging of the population. So the most accurate outcome is that the population will decrease or growth will slow, with the age structure becoming older. It wouldn’t lead to a bigger population, a stable population, or a younger population in this scenario.