Assessing the Quality of Migration Statistics in Former Yugoslavia—Lot of Strategies but Less Implementation

Abstract

This research aims to examine the quality of migration statistics in the countries of former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro) including Kosovo and Metohija as well. The comparative aspect of the research study provides an analysis on assessing the quality of migration statistics in terms of sources and data of migration statistics. The research results show that the region of the former Yugoslavia, except for Slovenia has ineffective migration statistics registration and serious limitations in this part. Furthermore, in a situation of absence of population registers almost within the whole region of former Yugoslavia, the population census and the administrative data serve as the only source for migration statistics. Moreover, almost all of the former Yugoslav republics have some existing problems in implementation of censuses regarding estimates of the usual resident population. Therefore, the migration statistics in the former Yugoslavia region provided by its national institutions should be considered as questionable.