They currently account for 54 percent of all migrants in the region.

According to the UN News Service, more than 13 million women born in Europe and Central Asia are currently living outside their countries of birth, while the region hosts more than 9.5 million female migrants from around the world.

The report shows that women are increasingly making independent decisions to migrate in search of education, decent work, safety and economic opportunities, rather than moving solely as accompanying family members. This reflects profound changes in migration patterns across the region.

«Across Europe and Central Asia, women are increasingly driving migration — as students, workers, caregivers, entrepreneurs, refugees and community leaders. Sometimes migration is a lifeline from conflict, violence or disasters. Sometimes it is a pathway to education, decent work and new opportunities. Whatever the reason, women deserve safe, rights-based migration systems that respond to their real needs. For too long, migration has been viewed as a gender-neutral phenomenon. Migration has a woman’s face. It is time to recognize this,» Bélen Sanz Luque, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, said.

The report highlights that while migration creates new opportunities for women, they continue to face structural inequalities that limit their rights, economic security and access to protection.

Even highly educated migrant women often struggle to find jobs matching their qualifications. For example, nearly 45 percent of female migrants from North Macedonia, 50 percent from Albania and 55 percent from Kosovo have higher qualifications than those required for their current employment.

Female migrants remain concentrated in low-paid and insecure jobs. The ageing population in European countries is increasing demand for migrant women workers in domestic care, long-term elderly care, hospitality and retail sectors.

From 30 percent of female migrants from Kyrgyzstan to 50 percent of female migrants from Tajikistan are employed in these sectors, where work is often informal, poorly paid and provides limited social protection.

This increases the risks of exploitation, unsafe working conditions and gender-based violence.

In Turkey, women make up a significant share of the migrant population, but they account for only 27.2 percent of issued work permits.

The report also notes that human trafficking remains a hidden crisis. In 2022, women and girls accounted for 74 percent of identified trafficking victims in Albania, 93 percent in Kosovo and 81 percent in Montenegro.

The authors of the report call on governments and international partners to improve migration policies by taking gender factors into account. Recommended measures include expanding safe and legal migration pathways, strengthening protection of migrant women’s labour rights, improving recognition of qualifications, investing in gender-sensitive social protection systems, and ensuring the full participation of migrant and refugee women in decisions that affect their lives.