Returning migrant
In the case of international migration, a returning migrantis a person who has resided in a foreign country as a short-term or long-term immigrant, and who returns to his or her country of citizenship with the intention of staying for at least a year. In a narrower sense, immigrating foreign-born domestic citizens are not considered returning migrants. Regarding the moving tendency of contemporary Hungarian society, in the second half of the 2010s, the rate of emigration slowed down, while more and more Hungarian citizens living abroad moved back to Hungary. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of emigrants fell by two-thirds (from nearly 33,000 to less than 22,000), while the number of returning migrants increased by almost one and a half times (from less than 15,000 to more than 23,000). Therefore, the trend was reversed by the end of the decade. According to domestic statistics, more Hungarian citizens born in Hungary moved home in 2019 than left the country. However, the case of returning migration does not necessarily mean an actual moving home. Later, returning migrants can migrate again, or they may engage in circular migration. This latter case is very common, especially among Hungarian citizens who work in the closer countries, mainly in Austria and Germany.