East Asian migration patterns: economy or proximity?

In 2015, over 17 million people moved across national borders in East and Southeast Asia.  However, we have a limited understanding whether the movement is related to economic reasons or geographic proximity.  Most studies of migration in this region have been either qualitative in nature or country-specific studies.  The presentation is based on a data set compiled from various sources to explore systemic patterns of migration in this region in 2015. The results indicate that people have been moving toward locations with economic opportunities.  However, the choice of destination is also shaped by geographic proximity and historical ties between the places of origin and destination.