Armenia fails to stop outflow of population

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenia has experienced population decline since the USSR was broken up, but the decline tendency especially increased after 2008-2009. Based on experts’ projections, the country’s population will still be less than 3 million in 2020.

The emigration rate in Armenia continues to reach alarming rates, worsening the already poor demographic situation in the country.

The economic crisis of the 1990s caused substantial numbers of Armenians to emigrate. By the mid-1990s an estimated 750,000 Armenians had left the country. The statistics show that over the past 20 years, 1,200,000 people left the country – this accounts for 33 percent of Armenia’s population.

Many Armenians prefer to live anywhere else but not in their own poor, undeveloped country. For example, there are more than 2.5 million ethnic Armenians living in Russia alone – this number is slightly less than the population of Armenia.

Moreover, the vast majority of migrant workers from Armenia live in Russia with the hope to obtain the country’s citizenship and stay there forever. The same situation is observed in other countries with large Armenian communities, including the U.S. and France.

Those, who were lucky enough to migrate abroad, do not want to return back to Armenia – a completely corrupt country with a moribund economy, the blocked borders and tyranny regime, which suppresses freedom of speech and any profitable business of ordinary citizens. Moreover, the country is leading an aggressive policy against its neighbors, which further worsens its economic situation. Obviously, the Diaspora, living in much better conditions, itself attracts its compatriots that still live in Armenia.

The poor South Caucasus nation faces a number of problems – unemployment, corruption, inflation, huge debts, low foreign investment, falling exports and many others. Naturally, all this scares the Armenian citizens – that’s why they do not want to stay in the country and seek any opportunity to leave abroad forever.

Armenia is not only rapidly emptying, but also hopelessly aging. Young, healthy and educated people keep leaving the country in hopes to live properly abroad and send money to their parents in Armenia. Therefore, the country’s population keeps aging constantly.

Moreover, the birth rate is falling every year in Armenia. Due to the social and economic problems in the country, people in Armenia financially cannot afford to have children.

However, it seems that the Armenian government does not take this problem seriously, as it literally does nothing to contribute to better life conditions in the country. Thus, Armenia is at risk to become a complete desert in the foreseeable future if the government fails to stop the massive population exodus.