Over 3,000 Moldovans last year moved to live abroad on a permanent basis. According to a study by the National Bureau of Statistics, 1,360 Moldovans settled in Ukraine, while 772 in Russia, IPN reports.

The study reveals that 245 Moldovans chose to live permanently in the U.S., 218 in Germany, while 198 in Israel.

Most of the emigrants, both men and women, are aged between 20 and 39. The largest part of them, regardless of gender, have secondary education. The emigrants with higher education represent less than 18.5% of the total.

The information furnished by the Ministry of the Interior shows that 378 persons were repatriated in 2012, most of them from Russia and Ukraine.

As many as 3,093 immigrants came to Moldova last year. Most of them had a permit of stay for a fixed period. Almost 20% of them came to study in Moldova, over 30% to work, while the others to reintegrate the family or for other purposes.