Migration to Greece from the Balkans

In recent decades, Greece has been transformed from a sender to a receiver of migrants. This transformation is here examined with respect to historical background, theoretical framework and policy framework. While large-scale migration to Greece from the Balkans commenced only at the end of the 1980's, today the source countries of Albania, Bulgaria and Romania account for the vast majority of migrants in Greece. Newly available data allow examination of the characteristics of migrants from these countries and the recognition of important differences by nationality and gender in areas such as gender, age, marital status, the "family composition" of migration, the move to Greece and informal networks, occupations of employment, remittance behaviour, and intended length of stay.