Zambia's current population and migration patterns are shaped by past trajectories. Up until the 1980s, an urbanization process occurred, due to a vibrant mining industry. During the 1990s, the crash in copper prices and the shutting down of mines induced reverse migration flows from urban to rural areas. From the 2000s, the emergence of new drivers, combined with the existence of strong social networks inherited from the previous mining dynamics, has contributed to the diversification of Zambian migration patterns.