The number of students in rural areas fell by 40% in a decade, twice as much as in cities

2024-08-28 10:05:00, Aktualitet CNA

The number of students in rural areas fell by 40% in a decade, twice as much as

Almost a year after the end of the 2023 Census, INSTAT is not publishing the main data of the population living in the countryside and that living in the city, but based on the number of students in schools, it seems that during the last decade the country's rural population has declined strong.

Data from the Ministry of Education show that from 2012 to 2022, the number of students enrolled in rural schools decreased by about 40 percent, while the number of students in city schools decreased by 20% for the same period.

The Ministry of Education reported that in the 2012-2013 school year, more than 186,000 students were enrolled in schools in the country's villages, while their number dropped to 113,000 or 40 percent less in the 2021-2022 school year.

Over 204,000 students were enrolled in the city's schools in 2012, while in 2021, over 164,000 or 19.4% less.

The exact number of inhabitants living in urban and rural areas is crucial for public policies and for companies to design the right strategies and business plans.

The country's population has declined by about 14.8 percent or by about 420 thousand inhabitants between the two Censuses 2021 and 2023, but indirect data show that the population of rural areas has suffered a stronger decline due to double immigration within and abroad.

The number of students in rural schools shows that the population of rural areas has declined at twice the rate of urban population. Also the halving of the number of cattle in the last decade illustrates this fact. Since the decline is mainly related to the bankruptcy of small farms with 1-3 heads that represent small family economies.

The number of children in our country is decreasing rapidly in recent years, mainly due to high emigration of young people and low fertility rates. Women of reproductive age are having fewer and fewer children, and the age of marriage is rising for both men and women.

Also, movements within the country are creating a double negative effect for the population living in rural areas. Due to the decrease in the number of students, dozens of schools are closed year after year. On the other hand, closing schools forces the remaining families to move to larger urban centers to continue their children's education.

Cross-sectional data suggest that the population in the countryside has suffered a stronger decrease than that in the cities, and also the population in rural areas is older than in cities as there has been a stronger emigration of young people. These developments will affect especially the agricultural production. /Monitor