 In 1993, the government introduced a new national currency, the Moldovan leu, to replace the temporary cupon.The economy of Moldova began to change in 2001; and until 2008 the country saw a steady annual growth between 5% and 10%.The early 2000s also saw a considerable growth of emigration of Moldovans looking for work (mostly illegally) in Russia (especially the Moscow region), Italy, Portugal, Spain, and other countries; remittances from Moldovans abroad account for almost 38% of Moldova's GDP, the second-highest percentage in the world, after Tajikistan (45%).