Western Balkan countries are going through an emigration crisis, as indicated by the latest census conducted in North Macedonia.

The country of some 2 million inhabitants shrank by at least 10%, compared to data from the previous 2002 census.

A weak economy and lack of investments have severely damaged the country celebrating 30-years of independence.

After the dissolution of former Yugoslavia, Macedonians turned their eyes to the EU as their last hope for development.

But North Macedonia’s path has been filled with hurdles ever since, initially from Greece and now Bulgaria

The situation is even worse in Albania. Circa 1.7 million citizens left the country in the last 3 decades.

Serbia is also facing similar problems after more than 10,000 doctors left the country in the last 20 years.

In Bosnia, 400,000 people have emigrated from the country over the course of the last 8 years.

“All the countries of the Western Balkans are affected to varying degrees by emigration. The main reasons are economic, but apart from that, social reasons occupy an increasingly important place,” said Ilir Gedeshi, a professor of economics based in Tirana.