The present-day territories of Czechia and Slovakia have undergone numerous historical upheavals. Following the collapse of the major multinational empires at the end of the First World War in 1918 (the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires), they initially formed, together with Subcarpathian Russia (Ruthenia), the Czechoslovak Republic. This state was subsequently dismantled following the Munich Agreement in 1938, before being reconstituted at the end of the Second World War, albeit without Ruthenia, which was ceded to the USSR in 1945. Finally, in 1993, the Czechia and Slovakia each achieved independence following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Whereas these two territorial entities displayed markedly different demographic characteristics at the time of their union within Czechoslovakia in 1918, their populations now exhibit far more homogeneous demographic patterns. The major stages of this convergence constitute the focus of this article, which examines in particular more than a century of mortality and fertility trends in Czechia and Slovakia.
In France, more than one in five inhabitants is now aged 65 or over, raising questions about ‘ageing well’ and the adaptation of public policies in terms of housing, services and mobility. Studying people's relationships with their territories – understood as the spatial expression of their practices, the ways in which they invest themselves in these areas and the ties (particularly emotional ones) they forge with them – appears all the more important in old age, which is often characterised by a reduction in living space. Less locally rooted than their elders but far from uniformly mobile, the baby boom generations, who make up the bulk of today's retired population, offer a privileged case study for understanding contemporary relationships with territories. This article aims to study the links between geographical trajectories and relationships with territories for the first baby boom generations (1945-1949). The analysis focuses on the territories of childhood and those of residence during retirement and is carried out in two stages. First, using data from the Echantillon Démographique Permanent, the aim is to study the diversity of geographical trajectories and identify the main factors of differentiation within this generation. Next, based on 37 interviews from the Elvis project, the qualitative analysis explores the links between the geographical trajectories of the respondents, grouped into four main profiles, and their relationships with these territories. The analysis shows that the trajectories of the first baby boomers is largely local. The forms of attachment are diverse, ranging from a strong attachment to places of origin to emotional reinvestment in new spaces. Family, particularly proximity to children, remains a key factor in attachment, illustrating the persistence of family considerations in residential choices, even among generations often perceived as more individualistic
The maternal mortality rate in the United States is historically high compared to that of other Western nations. In 2021, there were 33 maternal deaths during or after pregnancy per 100,000 births in the United States, compared to just 9 per 100,000 births in France. In the United States, this prevalence also varies significantly by race and ethnicity. According to the most recent statistics, in 2023, nationwide, Black women were three times more likely to die during or within the year following their pregnancy than White women (50 versus 14 per 100,000 births). This excess maternal mortality among Black women is observed at all geographic levels, as illustrated by the case of New York City and New York State. This article provides an overview of this alarming situation, for which public authorities are attempting to find solutions. The article also explores the many economic, sociodemographic, and biological factors contributing to this tragic disparity between Black and white women, which also illustrates the broader persistence of significant disparities between Black and white populations in the United States.
In Corsica as in Martinique, some residents develop mobilities to mainland France for work and study whilst maintaining their residence on the island. These trips are not a prelude to migration: they substitute for it. Based on a comparative analysis combining population census data (2019) and semi-structured interviews (N = 40), this article examines the extent to which Corsican and Martinican residents manage to engage in these forms of circulation. The results highlight three main dynamics. First, geographical distance, correlated with the territorial continuity policies specific to each region, acts as a determining structural filter: probabilities of professional or student mobility to the mainland are significantly higher in Corsica than in Martinique. Secondly, these mobilities remain socially selective, primarily concerning individuals with the highest educational capital and those occupying high socio-professional positions. Thirdly, beyond the educational and professional spheres, travel for medical and recreational purposes reveals that access to mainland resources contributes to the reproduction of social inequalities. The article further shows that claimed insular residential anchoring covers heterogeneous realities: on one hand, some residents maintain an administrative rather than effective domiciliation on the island, instrumentalising, in Corsica, their resident status to access subsidised fares whilst living de facto on the mainland; on the other, those who preserve a genuine insular anchoring develop what we term "batch mobility" strategies, concentrating their trips into spaced-out sequences in order to reconcile island presence with access to mainland resources. In conclusion, the article proposes the concept of staying through mobility to describe situations in which the ability to circulate becomes a structural condition for residential permanence in insular contexts.
Using data from the Parcoursup platform in 2019, this article investigates the geographical distribution of wishes expressed in high school graduates’ higher education applications. It analyzes the logics structuring the fact of expressing wishes exclusively located in the territory of residence at the time of the baccalaureate, exclusively outside, or a mixture of both. By comparing different areas (the Paris region, areas close to large metropolis, or the French overseas), it characterizes the specific contexts of each type of territory, while taking into account the interaction between these contexts and the socio-educational profiles of applicants. The results highlight three important factors contributing to regional disparities in the relation to the mobility associated with educational choices: student dynamism (number of institutions, student population), the costs associated with interdepartmental mobility, and school contexts at the intersection of the social characteristics of high school graduates and those of their localities.
Latin America displays a rare linguistic coherence on such a vast geographic scale. While the language of the most populous country in this continental group (Brazil) is Portuguese, all the other countries are Spanish-speaking, with the exception of the small state of Guyana, which is English-speaking; Suriname, where the official language is Dutch; the French enclave (and therefore French-speaking) of French Guiana; and finally the Falkland Islands, which constitute a British Overseas Territory. From a demographic perspective, however, a greater diversity can be observed, both in terms of population structure (age pyramids) and natural and migratory movements. Migration particularly distinguishes two clearly differentiated groups: on the one hand, the countries of South America, among which there is notably an intense circulation of migrants; on the other hand, the countries of Central America, which are strongly influenced by the economic attractiveness of the United States. The demographic prospects of these two geographical groups nevertheless converge: their natural growth is slowing and will soon no longer be able to offset a migratory deficit inherent in the economic situation—both difficult and persistent—of most Latin American countries.
While the Canadian immigration regime promotes a two-step process - first temporary, then permanent - access to permanent residency remains highly unequal. This article analyzes the migration trajectories of temporary foreign workers admitted between 2006 and 2013, considering them as structuring dimensions of life courses. The central issue concerns the differentiated effects of migration statuses on migrants’ stability, rights and agency. The study draws on a longitudinal administrative database that tracks the monthly administrative statuses of more than 700,000 individuals over a five‑year period. Based on sequence analysis, it leads to the development of a typology of seven trajectories, defined by their timing and their migratory outcomes. The results reveal strong stratification: some workers gain permanent residency quickly, while others remain caught in repeated back‑and‑forth movements with no prospect of stabilization. The analysis also highlights significant links between trajectory types and factors such as employment sector, national origin, and gender, showing how migration regimes produce temporal inequalities and constrain individuals’ capacity to project themselves into the future.
The local expression of population aging sometimes differs significantly from the dynamics observed at the national or European level. Analysis of the evolution of the very elderly population in the Hauts-de-France region highlights local aging processes that are more closely linked to territorial dynamics than to natural factors of aging.
Administrative procedures, reception policies, and residence permits shape the integration processes of immigrants in destination countries, particularly among asylum-seeking migrants. Existing research on the connection between geographical mobility and administrative pathways mostly focuses on the transnational mobility of asylum migrants, whereas internal moves are less studied. This work explores the impact of administrative outcomes (type of protection obtained, duration of the asylum procedure) and the reception system (type and location of reception facilities) on internal migrations and settlement in Belgium among recognised refugees. To do so, we rely on Belgian National Register data and monitor a cohort of asylum migrants who arrived between 2012 and 2016 and were granted international protection. Using Cox models, we demonstrate that asylum migrants hosted in collective centres are much more likely to change municipality of residence after obtaining a protection than those not hosted in those centres. We also show that long asylum procedures decrease the likelihood of internal migration after receiving protection. In contrast, the consequences of the 2015 reception crisis increased the internal mobility among recognised refugees. Finally, we find significant differences between Belgian regions as subsequent moves are mostly directed to Flanders, Brussels, and urban areas.
The Russian Federation is a multicultural and multiconfessional country characterized by considerable geographic, ethnographic, and climatic diversity, owing in part to its vast territory of 17 million square kilometers. For at least two centuries, Russia has been Europe’s most populous country and, according to United Nations projections, is expected to remain so throughout the twenty-first century.This article provides a broad overview of demographic developments in the Russian Federation during the first quarter of the twenty-first century. To place contemporary trends in context, however, it adopts a longer historical perspective and offers a comprehensive survey of Russian demographic change since 1900. The analysis draws on a wide range of statistical sources, including the general population censuses conducted after the Second World War in 1959, 1970, 1979, and 1989. These data are complemented by sources covering the post-Soviet period, particularly the official statistics published by the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and disseminated through demographic yearbooks available in both print and digital formats.The evidence reviewed here supports the argument that, despite its specific characteristics, Russia’s demographic trajectory is firmly embedded within the broader context of European demographic dynamics. The Russian Federation appears not only to share many of the demographic trends and challenges observed elsewhere in Europe, but in some instances to precede and foreshadow them.
Based on data from a retrospective longitudinal survey conducted in Ouagadougou in 2020 and in Lomé in 2022 among women of different generations, this article explores the evolution of women's daily work mobility over the past twenty years and throughout their employment trajectories. The analysis reveals the persistent “dependence on walking” among women commuting to their workplaces. However, it also provides a clear illustration of the central role played, during this period, by the increased access to motorcycles—particularly individual motorcycles in Ouagadougou—in enhancing women's urban mobility. In Lomé, although women have also gained mobility thanks to moto-taxis, they remain generally less mobile than twenty years ago, as a larger number now work from home. In fact, the study highlights the significant prevalence of this often invisibilized category of female workers in both cities—those engaged in low-paying informal activities from home. This “choice” of immobility is strongly linked to women’s family life cycle and is especially common among women in unions and those with young children. Beyond the issues of work-family balance, the results confirm that working from home often becomes a default solution for women living in peripheral neighborhoods.
This paper focuses on the life trajectories of internal female migrants in Tajikistan. It is based on an ethnographic study in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, among female workers in two professions overwhelmingly occupied by women from the country's villages: sweeping and gardening. More specifically, the article focuses on how the female trajectories studied reflect the articulation of different migration trajectories within the families of the workers interviewed. How does the international migration of relatives compose, or even trigger, bifurcations in the life trajectories of internal female migrants? Chain mobilities are only one of the forms that the articulation between international and internal migration trajectories can take, which this article proposes to analyze using examples of life trajectories and original (bio)graphical representations.
With a population of 226,000 in 2022, Presidente Prudente is a pioneering city on the western edge of the state of São Paulo, born of the conquest of the land and the development of livestock farming and agriculture, made possible by the railway. Presidente Prudente experienced intense demographic and urban growth in the second half of the 20th century, establishing itself as a regional centre within the Brazilian urban network. It’s a tertiary city integrated into national and international commercial networks. Its wealth has, from the beginning, been based on the exploitation of the surrounding countryside, dominated by large landowners and land speculators. The concentration of land and speculative agriculture—which has gone through several economic cycles—have together encouraged rural exodus and, consequently, the city’s growth, while marginalizing small farmers. Social and economic inequalities are evident between urban and rural areas, and also within the city itself: the territory of Presidente Prudente appears fragmented, marked by gaps and areas where poverty, violence, and the informal economy accumulate. The history, factors and processes of the development of Presidente Prudente thus reflect the broader structures and dynamics of Brazil.
American expansionist ambitions are reconfiguring Greenlandic politics and raise the question of this autonomous territory's capacity to position itself within, and survive in, a world witnessing a salient return of force in international relations. Greenland constitutes a singular space: a vast Arctic island territory, very sparsely populated, and with an overwhelming Inuit majority. Studies on the capacity of small states to assert themselves have demonstrated the importance of soft power and alliances, which enable them to function as fully-fledged geopolitical actors on the international stage despite structural limitations. Questioning the applicability of this theoretical framework to Greenland — which is not a state — the article proceeds in three stages. It first demonstrates how President Donald Trump's expansionist policy — notably its grounding in an illiberal theory aimed at legitimising territorial appropriation — is fundamentally incompatible with the political project advanced by the Government of Greenland. The article then analyses the constraints weighing on the Greenlandic people's path to independence, highlighting geographical and historical factors, and examines in particular the consequences of the modernisation carried out during the post-colonial period. Finally, the article demonstrates how Greenland continues to advance toward independence through external partnerships, the configuration of which is being reshaped by American territorial ambitions. Yet even as the independence agenda undergoes realignment, Greenland is actively seeking to acquire genuine sovereign functions in the areas of foreign policy and security — a step considered indispensable to its future as a political entity.
Residential mobility constitutes a key indicator of urban and social transformations in the Algiers metropolitan area. Based on a mixed-methods approach combining data from the General Population and Housing Censuses [RGPH 2008–2022], an original database of 25,400 beneficiaries of the AADL housing program, and qualitative surveys conducted in several municipalities of the Algiers wilaya, this paper analyzes the forms, determinants, and effects of residential mobility.It highlights the structuring role of public housing policies in the spatial redistribution of populations, the social selectivity of the AADL program, as well as the importance of social and family networks and urban skills in shaping households’ residential trajectories. The findings show that mobility—whether constrained, partially chosen, or fully chosen—is embedded in differentiated residential strategies that actively contribute to socio-spatial reconfigurations within the metropolitan area, while also revealing persistent territorial inequalities.These dynamics illustrate both the capacity of households to adapt to urban constraints and the significant impact of public policies on the structuring of residential space.
One in two oversees high school graduates who go on to pursue higher education come to study in metropolitan France at some point. Based on interviews and SISE data, this article examines the backgrounds of these migrating students and the underlying roots of this mobility. The authors show that studying metropolitan France is a necessity for many of those seeking postgraduate degrees. Factors involved in migrations for undergraduate and postgraduate studies relate to students’ backgrounds (they are predominantly from the upper classes and have good educational dispositions) and to a local offer that is less extensive and sometimes seen as less prestigious. Socialization to mobility also plays a role, although it often comes with expectations that the student should return home.
The maternal mortality rate in the United States is historically high compared to that of other Western nations. In 2021, there were 33 maternal deaths during or after pregnancy per 100,000 births in the United States, compared to just 9 per 100,000 births in France. In the United States, this prevalence also varies significantly by race and ethnicity. According to the most recent statistics, in 2023, nationwide, Black women were three times more likely to die during or within the year following their pregnancy than White women (50 versus 14 per 100,000 births). This excess maternal mortality among Black women is observed at all geographic levels, as illustrated by the case of New York City and New York State. This article provides an overview of this alarming situation, for which public authorities are attempting to find solutions. The article also explores the many economic, sociodemographic, and biological factors contributing to this tragic disparity between Black and white women, which also illustrates the broader persistence of significant disparities between Black and white populations in the United States.
This article explores the residential and daily mobility of older people in periurban areas. By differentiating the experiences of women and men, it aims to understand the influence of residential trajectories on daily mobility practices in old age. It examines to what extent changes in mobility capabilities due to aging lead individuals to reconsider their choices of residential or mobility stability in later life, taking gender effects into account. The analysis is based on a qualitative survey conducted in periurban areas of two intermediate French cities Dijon and Limoges. Seventy persons aged 66 to 91 were interviewed. The findings highlight that, in old age, daily mobility is less influenced by residential trajectories than by local social integration and the ability to drive. The vast majority of individuals wish to age in place, adapting their daily mobility to their new capabilities for movement. In contrast, a minority, mostly women, consider relocating to a local center in order to gain or regain independence in their daily trips, particularly when they no longer drive. However, for married women, these relocation wishes are thwarted by their husbands' desire to stay in the current home.
According to the classification proposed by the United Nations Population Division, North America regroups five diverse territories having present or historical links with Europe: the United States of America and Canada are former European colonies, whilst Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an overseas collectivity of France. A continent strongly characterised by the migration flows which have shaped the populations of these territories, they are made up of diverse peoples and cultures. With declining fertility and natality, immigration has recently, once again, become the motor behind the demographic growth of the USA and Canada – countries which dominate the continent’s population – whereas emigration has slowed, even prevented, the growth of the island territories. Of vastly different sizes (how does one compare the landmass of Canada with that of Saint Pierre and Miquelon?), confronted with environments which can be diametrically opposed (Greenland and Bermuda), with populations living in vastly different settlements (from large US metropolises to isolated communities on the fringes of the Arctic), North America represents a kind of demographic kaleidoscope, which is however largely dominated by The United States, third demographic power of the world.
Until 1989–1991, Europe was divided into two, both politically and demographically. Central and Eastern Europe accounted for 48.6 per cent of the total population and exhibited certain specific demographic characteristics, such as population growth driven by natural increase, despite higher mortality rates, very low levels of international migration, and the persistence of an earlier childbearing pattern. Since then, Western Europe’s population has grown mainly as a result of net migration, whilst demographic trends in the East have undergone a profound transformation. Consequently, it now accounts for only 42.8 per cent of the continent’s population. In Central Europe, following a period of profound change, demographic trends have come to resemble those of Western Europe, with positive net migration and natural growth close to zero, despite a significant increase in life expectancy at birth. In Eastern Europe, the natural population decline and the net migration deficit have, in some cases combined, with the result that certain countries, such as Latvia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, have lost 30 per cent of their population. In Central Asia, the situation is completely different, as these countries now have a very high natural population growth rate, which has increased further since the start of the century. In these countries, which had not completed their demographic transition under the USSR, the population has grown by 60 per cent since independence.
