UNECE/Eurostat Seminar on Migration Statistics

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• UNECE/Eurostat Seminar on Migration Statistics
• ALBANIAN EMIGRATION 1989-2001
• Emira GALANXHI,
• INSTAT, ALBANIA

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• The 1990s are often referred to as years of
  large-scale international migration but in the
  Albanian case is the magnitude of the phenomenon
  of emigration which is remarkable because

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Emigration in Albania

• 1)      It has started in July 1990 with nearly
  5000 persons entered the embassies in Tirana of
  countries such as Italy, Germany, France and
  asked to leave the country.
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• 2)      This migration has continued and included
  the whole country was caught up in a general
  state of civil unrest, which claimed hundreds of
  lives in the tragic events of 1997.

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Emigration in Albania

• This migration has largely affected the younger
  population, which over the long term will affect
  not just the demography of the country but also
  social and economic developments there as well.
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• This emigration still continues but now it
  include the educated people that leave the
  country for going to USA and Canada.

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Demographic changes during the transition,
1990-2001

• The transition of Albanian society has been
  accompanied by changes in the demographic
  structure of the country. These changes have
  affected all demographic components
• a. Fertility
• b. Mortality
• c. Migration.

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• Pyramids on 1989 and 2001

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• Fertility
•  
• The TFR on 1989 was 3.02 children per woman,
• In 2001 TFR was 2.31 children per woman
•  

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Estimate 1
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Estimate 2
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Estimates, from censuses abroad (or other
sources)

• The number of Albanian citizens is
• In Greece 438,000
• In Italy 173,000
• In the US census, there were 44,913 persons of
  Albanian ancestry, foreign-born and entered
  from 1990 to March 2000.
• In Canada, 6,000 Albanians according to the
  census.
• In registers, there were 12,000 Albanians in
  Germany 1,00 in Switzerland.

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Italy and Greece

• According to censuses
• 16,500 of the Albanian citizens in Italy
• 13,000 in Greece in the census year
• Around 30.000 emigrants - partly balanced by
  Albanian returning home yearly
• Annual net emigration is about 19,000.
•  

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Italy and Greece

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Emigration impact on economy

The remittances are one of the main pillars of
the Albanian economy Their contribution is
estimated at around 15 of GDP for a ten years
period 58.8 of the trade balance for the
same period
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Emigration impact on the labour market

• The employment of Albanian emigrants on the
  the hosting countries has enriched them with
• a general culture of labour management
• ethic on work
• knowledge for the new sectors of economy
• new technologies
• The transfer of the knowledge home will
  accompany their return

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Emigration impact on the labour market

• The opportunity to emigrate helps to reduce the
  level of unemployment
• Smoothen difficult socio-economic conditions.

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Conclusions

• Better collaborations between statistical offices
• It would be very useful for us to have real data
  and not estimates.
• It will be important to have information not only
  on citizenship, but also on country of birth and
  country of birth of parents (to take into account
  naturalizations and births from Albanian parents)
• Information on returning emigrants is also
  important
• specific sample surveys could be envisaged
  between Albania and hosts country