Migrația internațională în Republica Moldova în profil teritorial

Abstract

The paper focuses on analyzing the general and territorial trends of international migration in the period 2014-2020. The paper is based on revised data on the population with usual residence and international migration. The methodological approach consists of the estimation and analysis of specific indicators of migration: net migration and net migration rate according to age, gender, residence, and administrative-territorial units (districts). The results showed that the total net migration in 2014-2020 constituted -228.8 thousand people, which means a decrease of the population by -8.3% during this period. The population decrease in urban areas was -9.8%, and in rural areas was -7.3%. The analysis also revealed the active involvement of the rural female population in migration processes. Negative migration is particularly high at ages 0-39, while positive migration is seen in the population aged 40 and over. Positive migration is a specific phenomenon in rural areas. The population of the municipality of Chisinau decreased by -86.1 thousand or -12.6% during this period. The largest population decrease due to migration was recorded in the districts of Ialoveni -15.9%, Cantemir -14.9% and Cahul -13.4%. Four districts had a positive increase due to migration: Ocnița (0.3%), Rîșcani (0.3%), Dondușeni (0.2%), and UTA Găgăuzia (0.1%). The paper concludes that the prevention of future demographic disasters can be achieved through urgent measures to improve the socioeconomic situation and improve the quality of life of the population. The article was elaborated within the State Program Project (2020-2023) 20.80009.0807.21 „Migration, demographic changes, and situation stabilization policies”.