QuickCheck: Is 'balik kampung' during CNY the world’s largest annual human migration?

Travelers make their way at the departure hall to catch their trains at the Beijing West Railway Station ahead of the Lunar New Year in Beijing on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. -AP

Every year, millions across Asia travel to be with family for the Lunar New Year, making it one of the most popular travel holidays globally.

But how does it compare with other peak travel periods, such as Thanksgiving in the United States or the summer holiday rush in Europe?

Although such holidays cause their fair share of travel chaos, could the Lunar New Year's outnumber them?

Is it true that it is the world’s largest annual human migration?

VERDICT:

TRUE

Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Chunjie, marks the world’s largest annual human migration.

This festival is celebrated across the world and draws millions of people travelling to reunite with their families.

In China alone, over 3 billion trips occur during the Chunyun period—a 40-day travel season leading up to the Lunar New Year—creating immense pressure on the country’s transportation infrastructure.

In 2024, the Year of the Dragon, an estimated 9 billion trips were recorded between Jan 26 and March 6, a staggering increase from 2.98 billion in 2019. Nearly 232 million journeys were made on peak days, making this period the largest human migration event globally.

In Malaysia, approximately 6.7 million people travelled during the Chinese New Year holiday in 2023.

References:

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-05/the-chunyun-the-largest-annual-migration-on-the-planet-becomes-an-economic-barometer-for-china.html

https://time.com/6248736/lunar-new-year-celebrations/

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46674

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chunyun-2020-lunar-new-year-travel-rush-china/index.html

https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-coronavirus-updates-latest-developments-business-advisory-part-2/

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/09/china/china-lunar-new-year-travel-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.tourism.gov.my/media/view/malaysia-ushers-in-the-chinese-new-year-with-increased-flights-from-china-to-malaysia