Women now make up majority of migrants in Europe and Central Asia: UN

Women now account for 54% of all migrants in Europe and Central Asia, according to UN Women. This highlights a major shift in migration patterns across the region.

The new report finds that more women are migrating independently in search of education, decent work, safety and economic opportunity, rather than accompanying family members.

“Migration has the face of a woman. It is time we see it,” said Belén Sanz Luque, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.

The report says the trend is unfolding amid the war in Ukraine, unresolved regional conflicts and growing climate pressures, including floods, droughts and extreme heat.

While migration has opened new opportunities, women continue to face barriers.

Many highly educated migrant women are overqualified for the jobs they hold, while others remain concentrated in low-paid and insecure sectors, where they face greater risks of exploitation and gender-based violence.

The report also highlights the disproportionate impact of conflict and trafficking on women.

Between 2022 and 2024, women made up the majority of migrants from both Ukraine and Moldova arriving in the European Union, while women and girls accounted for most identified victims of human trafficking in several countries across the region.

UN Women called on governments to expand safe and regular migration pathways, strengthen labour protections, improve recognition of qualifications and ensure migrant and refugee women are included in decisions affecting their lives.

WAM