Number of children and youth leaving Romania sees nine-year peak in 2018

A total of 44,048 children and youth aged up to 19 years left Romania last year, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS) quoted by Edupedu.ro. This is the highest number in this age group that has left the country since 2010.

The age group of 15- to 19-year- olds recorded the highest increase, followed by the age group 0 – 4 years. This means that many students leave the country while in high school, while families with young children also emigrate.

After 2008 and 2009, years when the migration numbers were very high at the level of the entire population, a period of constant decreases followed among children and youth. The minimum was reached in 2014 but the last four years saw constant increases.

A total of 855,175 Romanians left the country in the past four years, namely 4.4% of the country’s resident population in January 2019.

Long-term, temporary international migration refers to people who change their regular residence for at least 12 months during a set period. The emigrants are those who leave the country for at least 12 months, according to INS methodology.

The number of pupils and students in Romanian schools has been dropping constantly as the population decreases because of natural demographic causes or because of migration. INS data show that if 3.49 million students were registered in the pre-university school system in 2007, the number dropped to 3.09 million in 2017. It was a decrease of 457,538 children and students.

The drop in the school population brings about a decrease in the number of classes and even the closing of some schools. Out of the 8,230 schools open in 2007, 7,047 were still open ten years later, a 14.4% decrease. The closing of schools happens more often in rural areas and in smaller cities.

(Photo: Pexels.com)