North Macedonia is losing more than 22,000 residents every year due to youth emigration

North Macedonia is facing a continuing wave of youth emigration, driven by low wages, difficulties finding employment and a lack of prospects. This phenomenon has become a serious demographic problem, also affecting the formulation of state policies. According to North Macedonia’s newly revised Regional Development Strategy for 2021–2031, the country risks losing up to 22,000 residents every year. Accession to the European Union in the near future could slow the population decline and strengthen the country’s position in the European integration process, Portalb.mk reports.

Rrezarta Iseni says the economic situation and the obstacles to finding a job have made her consider emigrating. Nevertheless, she believes there are also opportunities to build a future in North Macedonia.

“There is the opportunity to start a business, and if a young person wants to, they can succeed here as well. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are influencing young people to pursue a luxurious lifestyle and decide to leave the country,” she said.

According to Rrezarta, her future is more closely tied to the country where she lives, while she advises young people not to give up on their efforts.

“Everyone has their own choice about where they want to live and work, but it would certainly be better here. We can also be successful here; it just takes commitment. I would urge young people to be persistent in pursuing their own opportunities,” she said.

Student Amra Osmani lists several reasons that she believes are driving young people to emigrate: inadequate education quality, a lack of jobs, loss of hope and the fact that their voices are not heard.

In a statement to Portalb.mk, Osmani said that many young people have the skills and talent to develop their ideas in the country, but the lack of institutional support weakens their hope. She also highlighted the influence of social media, where portrayals of a luxurious lifestyle can affect the decision to leave.

“Social media also plays an important role in youth emigration. We often see videos on social media showing luxurious trips, expensive cars and various journeys. This leads young people to believe that this is the future awaiting them if they also leave the country. Social media shows us only a small part of reality. Young people see no prospects in their country, and when they lose hope, this drives them to leave,” she said.

Do they see their future here, and what would persuade them to stay?

Delvina Sejdiu interprets this phenomenon differently. She says that for a large proportion of young people, the question is no longer whether they will leave, but only when they will do so.

According to her, this is due to limited opportunities and a lack of prospects, which make young people feel that their work is not valued.

“These factors,” she stressed, “cause young people to lose hope and create the feeling that they are neither valued nor rewarded for who they are and what they do,” Delvina said.

What is the state doing?

The Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth says that the issue of youth emigration has been included in the government’s policies and strategic documents. However, the institutions have not set a measurable target for the percentage by which they aim to reduce emigration, nor a deadline for achieving it.

The 2026–2027 Action Plan, drafted to implement the 2023–2027 National Youth Strategy, includes measures related to employment, aligning education with the labor market, entrepreneurship, financial security and greater youth inclusion.

The planned measures also include the “Youth Guarantee.” Under this initiative, people up to the age of 29 who are not working, studying or undergoing training must receive an offer of employment, education, training or participation in an active measure within four months.

The ministry also mentions other initiatives, such as support for self-employment, training and professional internships.

“These policies also include measures such as self-employment, training, professional internships and other forms of support for young people entering or reintegrating into the labor market,” the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth said.

However, the ministry does not have separate data on the number of young people who have left the country and refers requests for the relevant information to the State Statistical Office.

According to the ministry, work is also underway to establish systematic mechanisms to support people returning from the diaspora, particularly young people.

The permanent departure of young people and the working-age population is expected to profoundly alter the country’s demographic structure, as it increasingly faces the risk of an aging population.

The State Statistical Office has confirmed the scale of the demographic problem. Aggregate data for 2025 show that negative natural population growth was recorded in 66 municipalities, meaning that the number of deaths exceeded the number of live births. This is mainly linked to the departure abroad of young people and those of reproductive age. On an annual basis, live births fell by 4.1%.

“The demographic projections for our country are negative. Specifically, the share of people over the age of 65 will rise to more than 34% by 2055, the number of people over the age of 80 will increase more than sixfold compared with the situation in 2024, while the working-age population will shrink by nearly half a million people, further increasing pressure on public finances,” auditors also emphasized in the analysis titled “Population Aging.”

The OECD’s 2025 report shows that around 535,000 citizens of North Macedonia lived outside the country in 2024, compared with approximately 437,000 in 2015. The emigration rate has risen to 24.2%. The OECD has warned about the loss of human capital and “brain drain,” while 58% of the businesses included in the survey consider the departure of skilled workers to be a moderate or major obstacle.