New Scientific Formula for Predicting Migration Flows

Scientists have devised a formula to allow countries to predict immigration trends, according to a study published on Monday.

The new mathematical model is based on a detailed study of the flow of people into 11 countries including the United States, Britain and Australia from 1960 to 2004, a team led by Joel Cohen of the Rockefeller University in New York said.

The formula looks at factors such as population size and density of the countries people are leaving as well as those they are entering, and the distance between those places.

The mathematical model can be used to predict immigration trends in individual countries and regions, the researchers said, although they did not make such calculations. Click here for the full story.

The Processing of the National Academy of Sciences are available online.

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