A push factor is a condition that drives people to leave their place of residence. It pushes them out. War, famine, unemployment, persecution, drought. The factor makes the current location unbearable. It is the opposite of a pull factor, which attracts people to a new location. Together they explain migration.

Push factors can be sudden or gradual. A war is sudden. A drought is gradual. Both push people out. A push factor does not have to be extreme. High taxes, poor schools, and limited freedom can push people to move. The decision depends on the alternatives. A push factor is only powerful if there is somewhere better to go.

Common push factors

• War and political conflict.
• Famine and food insecurity.
• Unemployment and poverty.
• Persecution based on religion, ethnicity, or politics.
• Natural disasters and climate change.

Push factors create refugees. The United Nations defines a refugee as someone fleeing persecution or conflict. Push factors also create economic migrants. They leave to find work. The distinction matters legally. Refugees have protection under international law. Economic migrants do not. But the line is blurry. A person fleeing poverty might also be fleeing violence. A person fleeing drought might be fleeing climate change. Push factors are complex. They overlap. They compound. A single push factor is rarely the whole story. People move for many reasons. The push is one of them. It is the force that says: I cannot stay. The pull says: I can go there. Together they set people in motion.