North Macedonia is experiencing an alarming exodus of its population. In the past five years, 170,000 workers have left the country, with 2,738 leaving in just the first three months of this year, according to the latest statistics from the State Statistics Office. This number is even higher during the summer when many workers and students flood Europe for seasonal jobs.
Data shows that over 20 years, 200,000 workers, or 9% of the total population, have left the country. Last year’s estimates indicated a shortage of about 10,000 workers annually, with the tourism and construction sectors being the most affected.
MIGRATION STATISTICS 2005-2023:
- 2005 – 459,000 persons migrating
- 2010 – 527,000 persons migrating
- 2015 – 563,000 persons migrating
- 2019 – 658,000 persons migrating
- 2020 – 693,900 persons migrating
- 2018-2023 – 165,976 persons left the country
- 2013-2021 – 2,500 persons left the country
- 2,738 persons left in the first three months of 2024
- The total number of residents living outside North Macedonia is around 800,000
Sociologist Sadik Emroja states that these figures should not be called migration but rather a mass exodus of the country’s population.
“Statistics indicate an alarming number, representing not migration, not expatriation, but a mass exodus akin to wartime displacement. These statistics reflect three primary conditions: security issues, lack of meritocracy, poor healthcare, and education,” said Sadik Emroja, Professor of Sociology.
The birth rate figures for the last 73 years are also alarming, with a continuous decline.
In 1950, there were 49,000 newborns in one year, while in 2023, there were only 16,000.
BIRTH STATISTICS:
- 1950 – 49,000 newborns
- 1960 – 44,000 newborns
- 1970 – 37,000 newborns
- 1980 – 39,000 newborns
- 1990 – 35,000 newborns
- 2000 – 26,000 newborns
- 2010 – 24,000 newborns
- 2020 – 19,000 newborns
- 2023 – 16,000 newborns
However, sociologist Emroja argues that the number of births has not decreased. According to him, the numbers are as they are due to migration, as births now occur outside the country.
“Birth rates have not decreased. If they were 60-69,000 in the 1960s, today they are over 150,000, but these children are not born in Macedonia; they are born in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, etc. In short, we have emptied our schools and homes and filled those of Western countries. I do not blame any migrant,” said Sadik Emroja, Professor of Sociology.
North Macedonia is among the top 20 countries with the highest emigration rates globally. According to World Bank estimates, almost 40% of the population with higher education has left the country.
