Net in-migration to the European/Western regions; the Asian portion (eastern) is sparsely inhabited (unpopular); during the Soviet Union period, communist policy encouraged factory construction near remote portions of Asia, which happened to be in the eas

The movement of people from the Asian portion of Europe and Western regions to other parts of the world, such as the US, Canada, and other European countries, began during the Soviet Union period. When the communist system was established, the Soviet government began encouraging the construction of factories in remote areas of Asia, which were located in the eastern part of the continent. As a result, a large number of people began to migrate eastward in search of employment opportunities. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the factories there closed and the population began to move back to the western parts of Europe, where the economic and social infrastructure was more developed and promising. Furthermore, during the period of economic transition, many people found it difficult to make ends meet in the more rural and less developed regions of the east, and continued to move west for better economic opportunities. As a result, the eastern portion of Europe has become sparsely inhabited, compared to the western part.