SQA National 5 Geography Practice Exam 2026 - Free Geography Practice Questions and Study Guide

The term that refers to the shift in population distribution from rural to urban areas is rural-urban migration. This process involves individuals or communities moving from the countryside, where they typically rely on agriculture or other rural-based activities, to cities or urban areas that offer more job opportunities, better access to services, and different lifestyles.

Rural-urban migration is driven by several factors, including economic opportunities, lack of services in rural areas, and the pursuit of improved living conditions. As people migrate to urban settings, cities grow, often leading to increased urbanization where a larger percentage of the population resides in urban areas compared to rural locations.

Other terms, while related to urban development and movement, refer to different concepts. Urban sprawl describes the spread of urban developments into areas that were previously rural, often without planned growth. Suburbanization refers to the movement of populations away from city centers into the surrounding suburbs, which is a different dynamic from rural-urban migration. Demographic transition is a model that describes changes in birth and death rates in a population over time, rather than specifically addressing the movement of people from rural to urban areas.