The Republic of Moldova runs out of young people. Expert// In the last 10 years the share of young people of university age has decreased by more than 20%
The share of young people of university age going abroad has increased by more than 20% in the last 10 years. Since 2018 and so far, Moldova is facing the third wave of migration, that among young people, says economist Veaceslav Ionita. The majority of Moldovans who left abroad do not intend to return to Moldova, demography experts say.
While 10 years ago, 24% of young people of university age were abroad, today their share has reached about 40%, says economic expert Veaceslav Ionita. The economist pointed out that out of about 13 thousand young people who were enrolled in Moldovan universities in 2019, only 8 thousand or 65% of them completed their studies in 2022.
"In 2014 there were 230 thousand young people in the country and 66 thousand abroad. Currently there are 112 thousand young people in the country and 74 thousand abroad. The number of young people in the country has more than doubled. In the last few years, we have been witnessing a process of accelerated migration of young people, while before it was the 25-35 year olds who migrated, so people went to work to earn money, now, in the last five to seven years, we are witnessing a process where young people, those who should go to university to study, are migrating massively abroad", said Veaceslav Ionita.
The majority of Moldovan migrants do not intend to return to the country, and most of them are young people, population and demography expert Valeriu Sainsus told Radio Moldova. He added that state policies should be geared to motivate young people to stay in Moldova.
"We are witnessing the second generation of migrants. At present, we are witnessing a broad integration of families to new places of settlement. Over almost 30 years, we have lost about two and a half percent of the total population. In fact, migration is the phenomenon that is most at the heart of the demographic imbalance. Migration is a phenomenon of inequality, as long as there is inequality, there will be migration. This is also due to the fact that the vast majority of our young people prefer to do or complete their quality European studies", said Valeriu Sainsus.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics in June show that in the first half of this year, the rate of young people in the Republic of Moldova decreased compared to the same period last year. Among young people aged 15-24 there was a decrease of about 8 percent, about 7 percent among 15-29 year olds and about 4 percent among 15-34 year olds.
