Alexandru Stratan: Moldova among countries with highest rates of depopulation

17.08.2023 06:20
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2 minute(s)

Moldova is among the countries with the highest rates of depopulation, and this is reflected in the small number of students in the country’s schools and universities, says Alexandru Stratan, rector of the Moldovan Academy of Economic Studies ASEM.

Following the university reform, the Academy of Economic Studies absorbed the National Institute of Economic Research, an entity that also includes the Center for Demographic Research, the only structure in the country that makes official demographic predictions. According to the ASEM rector, official data show that the country’s demographic situation is precarious, as more and more Moldovans choose to create a future for themselves abroad.

“Moldova is a country that experiences one of the highest rates of depopulation. We must take the necessary measures to stop this pace. We have two components, low birthrate, because birthrate is below deathrate, and migration. Whereas in the 2000s people were leaving for a better job, now our compatriots are leaving for a better place to live. People are already thinking about higher living standards, better services. Lately, the exodus of the population includes people who are not necessarily poor”, said Alexandru Stratan during a show on Vocea Bessarabiei.

According to the ASEM rector, the state budget faces a double shock, since, on the one hand, able-bodied citizens leave abroad, and on the other hand, people who have reached retirement age return to Moldova.

“The workforce in its prime, from 25 to 40, is leaving. At the same time, in recent years we have been observing the return of those who are more than 60 years old, i.e. people of retirement age. This means that, on the one hand, we are losing the population that can contribute to economic development and contribute social payments, and on the other hand, there is additional pressure when only people of retirement age return”, said Stratan.

According to the UNFPA, the real number of the population living in Moldova is 2.6 million people, compared to 4.5 million in 1991 when our country gained independence.