This paper presents an overview of the migratory situation in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern
Europe and Central Asia (SEEECA), a region that includes 20 countries and territories1
covered
by the IOM Regional Office in Vienna. The paper identifies a number of key trends observed in
the region for the last 20 years and that are expected to shape the regional migratory landscape
in the years to come. The trends have been identified using a combination of publicly available
data, thematic studies, subregional and national surveys, and expert opinion.
The document provides a summary that includes key regional migration figures and a
snapshot of the trends identified. The introductory section comprises a brief presentation of
the economic and demographic characteristics of the region that affect the migration patterns
in SEEECA, followed by an overview of the regional migration situation. The next section
contains more in-depth analysis of the regional migration dynamics over the past two decades
and possible future developments presented as 12 key regional migration trends.
The identified migration trends present both challenges and opportunities to the region’s
governments, societies and migrants. While some of these are highlighted, their analysis and
implications for policy and practice are outlined in greater detail in the 2015–2020 IOM Strategy
for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
2 The strategy also presents the IOM
vision of ways to address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by
the regional migration realities and outlook, and can be viewed as an operational document
complementing this analytical paper.