| 17 September 2008 Migration is one of the leading causes of the demographic decline in Moldova, alongside the decreasing birth rate and rising death rate and number of abortions, says a survey conducted by the Rating and Investigation Agency "Fin-Consultant RI". According to the study, the key reasons for exodus are the low incomes (45% of the respondents), insufficient job offers (24.5%) and the deplorable situation in rural settlements (15.6%). 25.5% of the respondents want to go abroad to look for better career opportunities, 23.4% - to have a better living with lower costs, 18.1% - to earn money and build a house, 12% - to work. The study says that 53.4% of those surveyed would like to work in the EU, 27.4% in Canada and the United States, 13.7% in the CIS, 5.5% in Australia. According to statistics, over 600,000 Moldovans work abroad at present. The money sent home by them makes up about 36.2% of the Gross Domestic Product, Moldova ranking second in the world by this indicator. The survey was carried out in the municipality of Chisinau during August-September 2008. It covered 658 respondents.
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