Epress.am News from Armenia
A significant growth in emigration from Armenia, reaching the highest figure in recent years, was recorded in 2013. According to the RA State Migration Service, in January and February of this year, there were 272,918 people leaving the country and only 250,079 arriving. In other words, 22,839 left the country in just two months.
Official figures are cited in a United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) report on the demographic situation in Armenia, presented in Marriott Hotel in central Yerevan today.
According to the survey findings, relatively young and educated respondents said that, apart from economic reasons, their decision to emigrate was due to a lack of opportunities for professional growth and development in Armenia, as well as a desire to live in countries that have a higher level of human rights protection, democracy, and governance.
Around one-third of survey participants said they plan to leave the country in the next two years.
Also cited as reasons to emigrate were concentration and monopolies in the business sector, the level of independence of the courts is questionable, and problems in the education system.
The authors of the study state that a significant portion of emigrants went to Russia, mostly through the Russian government's Compatriots program, which encourages and facilitates immigration from former Soviet countries.
"Over the last four years, 26,000 Armenians applied to that program, 1,500 of whom renounced their Armenian citizenship and left for Russia," reads the report.
Along with the trend of increasing emigration, the birth rate in Armenia is declining. In 2010, this figure was 1.7 children per woman, indicating a demographic decline. According to the results of UNFPA's 2009 study, 68.3% of the 1,139 survey respondent families said they are not planning on having a second child, while 16.4% are and 13.6% could not answer the question. According to the survey, financial issues and a feeling of uncertainty towards the future were the main reasons respondents were reluctant to have children.