Abstract
There are 69.7 million left-behind children (LBC) in China. Using nationally representative monitoring data for migrant workers aged 15 to 59 years in China, this study sought to estimate the prevalence of LBC in each province, and to examine risk factors being left behind at both the individual and provincial level. Data on a total of 117,573 children less than 18 years of age were included in the multilevel analysis. At individual and family level, children’s gender, age, family income, migration distance, parental separation, and housing condition in host cities were associated with being LBC. The average household monthly income in the host province was significantly associated with the migrant parents’ arrangement to leave their children behind. Comprehensive supportive policies and strategies on schooling, housing for the migrant family in host cities might be beneficial to reduce the number of LBC in China.
Highlights
Since the economic reforms of the late 1970s, China has been experiencing the largest internal migration in human history, with hundreds of millions of migrants streaming into major cities each year
left-behind children (LBC) generally refer to children who remain in rural regions of China while their parents migrant to work in urban areas, some literature included LBC in urban areas due to parents’ migration between cities
Data from a total of 117, 573 children aged less than 18 years old were provided by their parents including 35,454 (30.1%) left-behind children and 82,119 (69.9%) migrant children
Summary
Since the economic reforms of the late 1970s, China has been experiencing the largest internal migration in human history, with hundreds of millions of migrants streaming into major cities each year. A report released in 2013 estimated that there were 105.5 million children who belong to migrant families, accounting for roughly a third of the total population of children aged below 18 years in China [1]. While a precise population count of LBC is not available, it has been estimated that 61.0 million LBC are living in villages with at least one parent working away as a migrant [1,2]. LBC generally refer to children who remain in rural regions of China while their parents migrant to work in urban areas, some literature included LBC in urban areas due to parents’ migration between cities (e.g., from smaller cities to major urban centers). Many migrant parents did take their children (or some of their children) with them to the urban areas, resulting in 35.8 million migrant
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