Population has been steadily migrating from the outer atolls to the urban concentrations on Majuro and Ebeye. As a result, outer atolls have been left with unbalanced population structures of children, females, and the aged.
Provisions under the Compact of Free Association with the United States permit unrestricted entry into the US and allow high-school graduates to join the US armed forces. In 1999, the net migration rate was zero. In 2000 the total number of migrants was 2,000. The government views the migration levels as satisfactory.