Polling center head: Armenia loses 3-4% of its population annually
05.02.2016,
15:55
The negative balance of migration in Armenia in 2015 was 7.2% or about 220 thousand people, Aharon Adibekyan, the head of Sociometer polling center in Yerevan, said today.
YEREVAN, February 5. /ARKA/. The negative balance of migration in Armenia in 2015 was 7.2% or about 220 thousand people, Aharon Adibekyan, the head of Sociometer polling center in Yerevan, said today.
According to him, considering that the natural population growth rate is 2.5-3.5%, this means that Armenia annually loses 3-4% of its population.
"This is not a permanent loss, as there is the factor of labor migrants who return to their homeland. In addition, it is natural for many nations to have about 10% of their population living abroad," Adbekyan told a news conference.
According to Adibekyan, about 600,000 Armenians left their country during the rule of the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991-1998), following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh war and mass unemployment.
During the second president Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) some 130 thousand people left for other countries and another 260,000 emigrated during the current president Serzh Sargsyan’s tenure (2008 - present).
"It turns out that about 1 million people left Armenia since its independence,' Adibekyan said. According to him, the main reason is the socio-psychological situation. About 90% of the population migrated to Russia, the remaining 10% to other countries.
"Russia has become a kind of" black hole "absorbing Armenian emigrants, although some choose to return back now due to unfavorable economic situation in that country,’ said Adibekyan. -0-
According to him, considering that the natural population growth rate is 2.5-3.5%, this means that Armenia annually loses 3-4% of its population.
"This is not a permanent loss, as there is the factor of labor migrants who return to their homeland. In addition, it is natural for many nations to have about 10% of their population living abroad," Adbekyan told a news conference.
According to Adibekyan, about 600,000 Armenians left their country during the rule of the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991-1998), following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh war and mass unemployment.
During the second president Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) some 130 thousand people left for other countries and another 260,000 emigrated during the current president Serzh Sargsyan’s tenure (2008 - present).
"It turns out that about 1 million people left Armenia since its independence,' Adibekyan said. According to him, the main reason is the socio-psychological situation. About 90% of the population migrated to Russia, the remaining 10% to other countries.
"Russia has become a kind of" black hole "absorbing Armenian emigrants, although some choose to return back now due to unfavorable economic situation in that country,’ said Adibekyan. -0-
