Asunción is the city that "expels" the most inhabitants in Paraguay, according to data from the 2022 National Population and Housing Census, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The capital recorded the country's largest negative net migration, losing nearly 65 people for every 1,000 residents between 2017 and 2022.
The phenomenon is part of a national trend in which 20.2% of the Paraguayan population, approximately 1,234,699 people, are internal migrants, residing in a department different from the one where they were born. The report links the departure of residents from Asunción primarily to the Central Department, motivated by real estate factors and the search for new residential spaces.
In addition to Asunción, the departments of San Pedro and Ñeembucú also appear on the list of areas with the greatest population loss. In contrast, the Central Department remains the main destination, receiving 47.8% of all internal migrants. When added to those who choose Asunción as a destination, despite its overall negative net migration, the metropolitan area concentrates 55.2% of the country's migratory movements.
One of the study's most revealing findings is that the population that decides to migrate has, on average, better living conditions than non-migrants. Households headed by migrants, both internal and international, have a lower incidence of unsatisfied basic needs and lower levels of overcrowding. Furthermore, this group has greater educational capital, with international migrants surpassing, by an average of one year of study, those who reside in their place of birth.
The study also highlights that 28.1% of the employed population in Paraguay are migrants, demonstrating their strategic weight in the national labor market. This constant flow to urban areas, where 80.5% of internal migrants live, is redrawing the country's map and poses the challenge of strengthening services in receiving cities, in addition to understanding why historical hubs, such as the capital, are failing to retain their own population.