Demographics of Moldova
Moldova population pyramid in 2020
PopulationDecrease 2,512,800[1] (01.01.2023, excluding Transnistria)
Density85.6 (excluding Transnistria)
(2021)
Growth rate−0.3 (2016)
Birth rate10.5 births/1,000 population
(2016)
Death rate10.8 deaths/1,000 population
(2016)
Life expectancy73.21 years (2017)
 • male69.35 years
(2017)
 • female76.96 years
(2017)
Fertility rate1.57 children born/woman
(2018)
Infant mortality rate9.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2017)
Net migration rate+0.0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012)
Age structure
0–14 years16.4%
(male 301,150/female 284,400)
15–64 years73.6%
(male 1,277,900/female 1,341,650)
65 and over10.0%
(male 133,060/female 222,270)
Sex ratio
Total0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
At birth1.06 male(s)/female
Under 151.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years0.94 male(s)/female
65 and over0.59 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityMoldovans
Major ethnicMoldovans 75.1%[2]
Minor ethnicRomanians 7.0%, Ukrainians 6.6%, Gagauz 4.6%, Russians 4.1%, Bulgarians 1.9%
Language
OfficialRomanian language
SpokenRomanian, Russian, Gagauz

Demographic features of the population of Republic of Moldova include distribution, ethnicity, languages, religious affiliation and other statistical data.

Overview of the demographic statistics

According to the 2014 Moldovan Census, 2,789,205 people resided in the areas controlled by the central government of Republic of Moldova. Another 209,030 were non-resident citizens living abroad, for a total of 2,998,235.[3]

According to the 2015 census in Transnistria, 475,007 people lived in the breakaway Transnistria, including the city of Bender, and the other localities de facto controlled by Transnistrian authorities.[4] Thus, the total population of the country in 2014 amounted to 3,473,242.

Median age
total 34.3 years (2008 est.)
(up from 32.22 years in 2005)
male32.4 years
(up from 30.14 years in 2005)
female36.4 years
(up from 34.27 years in 2005)
Literacy rate
total96% (1989); 99.1% (2003); 99.1% (2005)
male99% (1989); 99.6% (2003); 99.7% (2005)
female94% (1989); 98.7% (2003); 98.6% (2005)
definition age 15 and over can read and write
Unemployment rate
8% (official), 40% (real)
Source: The World Factbook, CIA;[5] UN[6],[7]

Urban–rural distribution of population

According to the 2014 census, 1,144,428 residents or 38,2% live in cities while 1,853,807 are rural residents. The largest cities under the control of the constitutional authorities are Chișinău with 644,204 (with 590,631 actual urban dwellers) and Bălți with 102,457 (97,930 urban dwellers). The autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia has 134,535, out of which 48,666 or 36,2% are urban dwellers. Ungheni is the third largest city with 32,828, followed by Cahul with 28,763, Soroca with 22,196 and Orhei with 21,065.[8]

By district (2004 census)

no type name population urban rural
population %citiespopulation %communes
1municipalityChișinău712,218644,20490.45%768,0149.55%12
2municipalityBălți127,561122,66996.16%14,8923.84%2
3auton.territ.unitGăgăuzia155,64658,19037.39%397,45662.61%23
4districtAnenii Noi81,7108,35810.23%173,35289.77%25
5districtBasarabeasca28,97811,19238.62%117,78661.38%6
6districtBriceni78,02714,23018.24%263,79781.76%26
7districtCahul119,23135,48829.76%183,74370.24%36
8districtCantemir60,0013,8726.45%156,12993.55%26
9districtCălărași75,07514,51619.34%160,55980.66%27
10districtCăușeni90,61221,94124.21%268,67175.79%25 (out of 28)
11districtCimișlia60,92512,85821.10%148,06778.90%22
12districtCriuleni72,2547,1389.88%165,11690.12%24
13districtDondușeni46,4429,80121.10%136,64178.90%21
14districtDrochia87,09216,60619.07%170,48680.93%27
15districtDubăsari43,015–––34,015100%11
16districtEdineț81,39023,065%258,325%30
17districtFălești90,32014,931%175,389%32
18districtFlorești89,38917,086%317,086%37
19districtGlodeni60,97510,465%150,510%18
20districtHîncești119,76215,281%1104,481%38
21districtIaloveni97,70415,041%182,663%24
22districtLeova51,05614,411%236,645%23
23districtNisporeni64,92412,105%152,819%22
24districtOcnița56,51019,270%337,240%18
25districtOrhei116,27125,641%190,630%37
26districtRezina48,10510,196%137,909%24
27districtRîșcani69,45413,351%256,103%26
28districtSîngerei87,15315,760%271,393%24
29districtSoroca94,98628,362%166,624%34
30districtStrășeni88,90019,633%269,267%25
31districtȘoldănești42,2276,304%135,923%22
32districtȘtefan Vodă70,5947,768%162,826%22
33districtTaraclia43,15413,756%129,398%14
34districtTelenești70,1266,855%163,271%30
35districtUngheni110,54535,311%275,234%31
Subtotal control by central government3,383,3321,305,65538.59%542,077,67761.41%844
36territorial unitTransnistria383,806280,640163.85%10158,888136.15%69
37municipalityBender91,19788,05596.86%13,1423.14%1
10parts of districtCăușeni14,935–––14,935100%3 (out of 28)
15parts of districtDubăsari715–––715100%parts of 1
Subtotal control by breakaway Tiraspol555,347377,66768.01%11177,68031.99%73
Total3,938,6791,683,32242.74%652,255,35757.26%917

Note: 1The breakaway Transnistrian authorities count as rural the population of the towns of Crasnoe, Maiac, and Tiraspolul Nou. Since their exact population isn't available, so does this table.

Transnistrian-controlled areas (2015 cens.)

[9]

Populationurbanrural
populationcitiespopulationcommunes
Tiraspol129,367129,3671––
Camenca District20 542 ?1 ?12
Rîbnița District69,000 ?1 ?22
Dubăsari District31,000 ?1 ?9
Grigoriopol District40,000 ?12 ?114
Slobozia District84,000 ?24 ?212
Subtotal Transnistria383,806?10?69
Bender (w/o Proteagailovca)91,19791,1971––
Proteagailovca3,142––3,1421
Gîsca4,841––4,8411
Chițcani (incl. Merenești and Zahorna)~9,000––~9,0001
Cremenciug1,094––1,0941
Roghi715––715parts of 1
Subotal other localities109,98991,197118,7924
Total Tiraspol-controlled areas475,003333,00311142,00073

Note:
1 The breakaway Transnistrian authorities have counties as urban only the population of the town of Grigoriopol, while that of the town of Maiac was counted as rural.
2 The breakaway Transnistrian authorities have counties as urban only the population of the towns of Slobozia and Dnestrovsc, while those of the towns of Crasnoe and Tiraspolul Nou were counted as rural.

Vital statistics

Bessarabia Governorate (1900–1914)

[10]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000)
1900 2,037,000 83,30648,48034,826 40.923.817.1
1901 2,073,000 87,79746,29641,501 42.322.320.0
1902 2,113,000 96,64155,42341,218 45.726.219.5
1903 2,154,000 94,93653,23641,700 44.124.719.4
1904 2,194,000 99,26555,43643,829 45.325.320.0
1905 2,237,000 80,08562,38717,698 35.827.97.9
1906 2,267,000 95,09055,63839,452 41.924.517.4
1907 2,303,000 107,19559,96447,231 46.526.020.5
1908 2,345,000 96,08854,77241,316 41.023.417.6
1909 2,395,000 105,68162,49843,183 44.126.118.0
1910 2,441,000 101,54477,35624,188 41.631.79.9
1911 2,488,000 97,86474,09323,771 39.329.89.6
1912 2,540,000 102,65477,43125,223 40.430.59.9
1913 2,602,000 102,39777,74524,652 39.429.99.5
1914 2,625,000 100,87179,20221,669 38.430.28.3

After WW II, total area

[11][12]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rate Urban Fertility Rural Fertility
1945 2,028,000(e) 42,79578,797−36,002 21.138.9−17.8
1946 2,254,000(e) 64,46264,37191 28.628.50.1
1947 2,188,000(e) 57,555165,049−107,494 26.375.5−49.2
1948 2,126,000(e) 73,12335,84637,277 34.416.917.5
1949 2,236,000(e) 94,18030,40763,773 42.113.628.5
1950 2,341,000 91,13726,36364,774 38.911.327.7
1951 2,381,000 91,64525,95765,688 38.510.927.6
1952 2,432,000 80,91830,96849,950 33.312.720.5
1953 2,491,000 79,04123,25755,784 31.79.322.4
1954 2,557,000 83,60724,07759,530 32.79.423.3
1955 2,627,000 79,77221,86457,908 30.48.322.0
1956 2,701,000 81,37220,10961,263 30.17.422.7
1957 2,777,000 85,74321,11464,629 30.97.623.3
1958 2,853,000 87,50218,74168,761 30.76.624.1 3.54
1959 2,929,000 92,17621,46770,709 31.57.324.1 3.64
1960 3,003,000 87,91019,29068,620 29.36.422.9 3.41
1961 3,073,000 86,683 19,590 67,093 28.2 6.4 21.8 3.20
1962 3,141,000 80,494 21,365 59,129 25.6 6.8 18.8 3.00
1963 3,208,000 78,422 20,737 57,685 24.4 6.5 18.0 2.89
1964 3,273,000 73,583 19,944 53,639 22.5 6.1 16.4 2.71
1965 3,335,000 67,996 20,571 47,425 20.4 6.2 14.2 2.68
1966 3,395,000 71,406 21,474 49,932 21.0 6.3 14.5 2.73
1967 3,453,000 71,380 23,406 47,974 20.7 6.8 13.7 2.69
1968 3,506,000 69,997 24,268 45,729 20.0 6.9 13.0 2.65
1969 3,549,000 67,575 26,249 41,326 19.0 7.4 11.5 2.58
1970 3,594,000 69,778 26,577 43,201 19.4 7.4 12.0 2.56
1971 3,647,000 73,643 27,889 45,754 20.2 7.6 12.5 2.63
1972 3,700,000 76,198 28,001 48,197 20.6 7.6 13.0 2.63
1973 3,748,000 76,339 30,756 45,583 20.4 8.2 12.2 2.59
1974 3,794,000 77,474 32,216 45,258 20.4 8.5 11.9 2.55
1975 3,839,000 79,169 35,635 43,534 20.6 9.3 11.3 2.52
1976 3,877,000 79,863 34,812 45,051 20.6 9.0 11.6 2.46
1977 3,910,000 79,022 37,250 41,772 20.2 9.5 10.7 2.40
1978 3,936,000 78,994 38,410 40,584 20.1 9.8 10.3 2.38 1.70 3.00
1979 3,967,000 80,152 41,729 38,423 20.2 10.5 9.7 2.39 1.80 2.90
1980 4,010,000 79,580 40,472 39,108 19.8 10.1 9.8 2.41 1.80 2.90
1981 4,054,000 82,279 41,476 40,803 20.3 10.2 10.1 2.45 1.80 3.10
1982 4,097,000 83,258 41,046 42,212 20.3 10.0 10.3 2.43 1.79 3.19
1983 4,137,000 91,304 44,329 46,975 22.1 10.7 11.4 2.57 1.87 3.46
1984 4,175,000 89,637 45,537 44,100 21.5 10.9 10.6 2.67 1.95 3.65
1985 4,214,000 90,453 46,075 44,378 21.5 10.9 10.5 2.70 2.00 3.70
1986 4,255,000 94,726 40,437 54,289 22.3 9.5 12.8 2.78 2.00 3.80
1987 4,290,000 91,762 40,185 51,577 21.4 9.4 12.0 2.70 2.10 3.80
1988 4,321,000 88,568 40,912 47,656 20.5 9.5 11.0 2.63 2.00 3.60
1989 4,349,000 82,221 40,113 42,108 18.9 9.2 9.7 2.46 2.02 3.00
1990 4,364,000 77,085 42,427 34,658 17.7 9.7 7.9 2.39 1.91 3.07
1991 4,363,000 72,020 45,849 26,171 16.5 10.5 6.0 2.26 1.79 2.84
1992 4,353,000 69,654 44,522 25,132 16.0 10.2 5.8 2.21 1.68 2.86
1993 4,350,000 66,179 46,637 19,542 15.2 10.7 4.5 2.10 1.53 2.77
1994 4,350,000 62,085 51,514 10,571 14.3 12.0 2.3 1.95 1.44 2.54
1995 4,340,000 56,411 52,969 3,442 13.0 12.2 0.8 1.76 1.31 2.24
1996 4,325,000 51,865 49,748 2,117 12.0 11.5 0.5 1.60 1.19 2.05
1997 4,311,000 51,286 51,138 148 11.9 11.9 0.0 1.55
1998 4,318,000 46,705 47,691 −986 10.8 11.0 −0.2 1.48
1999 4,307,000 43,51148,904−5,393 10.111.4−1.3 1.43

(e)= estimate

Moldova under the central government control

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rate (TFR) Urban TFR Rural TFR Life Expectancy
(total)		 Life Expectancy
(male)		 Life Expectancy
(female)
1997 3,654,000 45,58342,9572,626 12.511.80.7 1.731.362.09 66.6162.8670.30
1998 3,652,000 41,33239,9221,410 11.310.90.4 1.671.322.03 67.7764.0371.39
1999 3,647,000 38,50141,315−2,814 10.611.3−0.8 1.611.261.97 67.4463.7471.04
2000 3,640,000 36,93941,224−4,285 10.211.3−1.2 1.571.231.95 67.5963.8771.22
2001 3,631,000 36,44840,075−3,627 10.011.0−1.0 1.481.211.92 68.2064.5071.75
2002 3,623,000 35,70541,852−6,147 9.911.6−1.7 1.411.131.89 68.1364.4071.71
2003 3,613,000 36,47143,079−6,608 10.111.9−1.8 1.471.181.88 68.1364.4771.64
2004 3,604,000 38,27241,668−3,396 10.611.6−0.9 1.501.191.91 68.3864.5072.16
2005 3,595,000 37,69544,689−6,994 10.512.4−1.9 1.2190.941.301 67.8563.8471.66
2006 3,586,000 37,58743,137−5,550 10.512.0−1.5 1.2281.0251.387 68.4064.5772.23
2007 3,577,000 37,97343,050−5,077 10.612.0−1.4 1.2560.9731.543 68.7965.0472.56
2008 3,570,000 39,01841,948−2,930 10.911.7−0.8 1.2771.0181.533 69.3665.5573.17
2009 3,566,000 40,80342,139−1,336 11.411.8−0.4 1.3261.0481.582 69.3165.3173.37
2010 3,563,000 40,47443,631−3,157 11.412.3−0.9 1.3091.0551.531 69.1165.0073.41
2011 3,560,000 39,18239,249−67 11.011.0−0.0 1.2661.0091.482 70.8866.8274.93
2012 3,560,000 39,43539,560−125 11.011.1−0.1 1.2791.0301.483 71.1267.2474.99
2013 3,559,000 37,87138,060−189 10.610.7−0.1 1.2380.9751.449 71.8568.0575.55
2014 2,857,815 40,70939,5221,187 14.313.80.5 1.821.522.04 69.3365.2073.60
2015 2,835,978 40,54739,800747 14.414.10.4 1.871.522.11 69.3765.2273.72
2016 2,803,186 39,64038,4121,228 14.313.70.5 1.891.562.12 69.8565.6874.20
2017 2,755,189 36,36336,779−416 13.213.3−0.2 1.811.492.03 70.7766.7174.92
2018 2,707,203 34,53737,263−2,726 12.813.8−1.0 1.811.482.03 70.666.375.0
2019 2,664,224 32,42336,411−3,988 12.213.7−1.5 1.781.471.99 70.966.875.2
2020 2,635,130 30,83440,717−9,883 11.715.5−3.8 1.761.461.98 69.966.073.9
2021 2,595,809 29,32045,464−16,144 11.317.5−6.2 1.751.481.94 69.065.172.9
2022 2,538,894 26,95236,157–9,205 10.614.2-3.6 1.691.461.87 71.467.175.7
  • Starting with 2014, the sharp changes[14] in the statistics are because of the new calculation methods and according with the latest census, and include only data of resident people that lived in the country predominantly during the last 12 months, regardless of temporary absences (for the purpose of recreation, vacations, visits to relatives and friends, business, medical treatment, religious pilgrimages, etc.).[15]

Current vital statistics

[16][17]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January – September 2022 19,593 32,493 -12,900
January – September 2023 15,682 25,354 -9,672
Difference Decrease -3,911 (-19.96%) Positive decrease -7,139 (-21.97%) Increase +3,228

Structure of the population

Population by Sex and Age Group (12.V.2014) (Excludes non-residents present in country at time of census (visitors, foreigners temporarily residing in country, etc.). Tiraspol, Bender, Slobozia, Ribnita, Camenca Yrigoricpol/Grigoriopol are districts from Transnistria where the census was not conducted.): [18]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 1 352 099 1 452 702 2 804 801 100
0–4 88 311 83 681 171 992 6.13
5–9 82 455 78 229 160 684 5.73
10–14 77 275 72 752 150 027 5.35
15–19 93 727 89 965 183 692 6.55
20–24 118 376 112 777 231 153 8.24
25–29 129 771 121 694 251 465 8.97
30–34 109 201 105 669 214 870 7.66
35–39 95 575 95 220 190 795 6.80
40–44 87 451 89 455 176 906 6.31
45–49 84 288 89 276 173 564 6.19
50–54 98 512 110 162 208 674 7.44
55–59 93 612 110 213 203 825 7.27
60–64 79 681 102 009 181 690 6.48
65-69 39 652 55 755 95 407 3.40
70-74 32 645 52 625 85 270 3.04
75-79 22 757 42 339 65 096 2.32
80-84 12 543 25 437 37 980 1.35
85-89 4 801 11 701 16 502 0.59
90-94 1 148 3 129 4 277 0.15
95-99 158 416 574 0.02
100+ 160 198 358 0.01
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 248 041 234 662 482 703 17.21
15–64 990 194 1 026 440 2 016 634 71.90
65+ 113 864 191 600 305 464 10.89
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021) (Provisional Estimates): [18]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 1 247 309 1 367 890 2 615 199 100
0–4 78 991 73 900 152 891 5.85
5–9 86 335 81 443 167 777 6.42
10–14 80 298 76 162 156 459 5.98
15–19 70 362 66 581 136 943 5.24
20–24 67 961 64 991 132 952 5.08
25–29 86 318 86 189 172 505 6.60
30–34 105 175 104 312 209 486 8.01
35–39 102 957 102 774 205 730 7.87
40–44 87 693 89 962 177 654 6.79
45–49 83 770 87 522 171 291 6.55
50–54 78 838 84 168 163 005 6.23
55–59 82 822 95 630 178 450 6.82
60–64 87 913 110 597 198 508 7.59
65-69 66 170 94 832 161 002 6.16
70-74 44 974 72 212 117 186 4.48
75-79 18 045 34 127 52 171 1.99
80-84 12 325 27 466 39 788 1.52
85+ 6 380 15 045 21 425 0.82
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 245 624 231 505 477 129 18.24
15–64 853 791 892 703 1 746 494 66.78
65+ 147 894 243 682 391 576 14.97

Transnistrian-controlled areas

[19]

Source:[20]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000)
1997 657,000 5,7038,181−2,478 8.712.5−3.8
1998 665,700 5,3737,769-2,396 8.111.7-3.6
1999 660,000 5,0107,589-2,579 7.611.5-3.9
2000 651,800 5,0107,770-2,760 7.711.9-4.2
2001 642,500 4,5057,759-3,254 7.012.1-5.1
2002 633,600 4,6308,118-3,488 7.312.8-5.5
2003 623,800 4,4408,192-3,752 7.113.1-6.0
2004 554,400 4,8408,031-3,191 8.714.5-5.8
2005 547,500 4,6648,186-3,522 8.515.0-7.5
2006 540,600 4,8688,306-3,438 9.015.4-6.4
2007 533,500 4,8938,132-3,239 9.215.2-6.1
2008 527,500 5,2907,967-2,677 10.015.1-5.1
2009 522,500 5,1897,454-2,265 9.914.3-4.3
2010 518,000 5,1897,709-2,520 10.014.9-4.9
2011 513,400 4,9997,289-2,290 9.714.2-4.5
2012 509,400 5,1737,280-2,107 10.214.3-4.1
2013 505,200 4,8066,867-2,061 9.513.6-4.1
2014 500,700 4,994 7,313 -2,319 10.0 14.6 -4.6
2015 474,500 4,959 7,094 -2,135 10.5 15.0 -4.5
2016 470,600 4,676 6,758 -2,082 9.9 14.4 -4.5
2017 469,000 4,500 6,684 -2,184 9.6 14.3 -4.7
2018 465,100 4,086 6,727 -2,641 8.8 14.5 -5.7
2019 465,200 3,646 6,810 -3,164 7.8 14.6 -6.8
2020 465,800 3,463 7,258 -3,795 7.4 15.6[21] -8.1
2021 465,300 3,144 8,980 -5,836 6.8 19.3[21] -12.5
2022[21] 459,800 2,820 6,483 -3,663 6.1 14.1 -8.0

Current vital statistics

[21]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January – December 2021 3,144 8,980 -5,836
January – December 2022 2,820 6,483 -3,663
Difference Decrease -324 (-10.3%) Positive decrease -2,497 (-27.8%) Increase 2,173

Fertility Rate (The Demographic Health Survey)

[22] Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2005 12,0 1,7 12,5 1,5 11,7 1,8

Ethnic groups

Ethnic map of Moldova (2004 data)
Ethnic map of Moldova (2014 data)

Out of the 2,804,801 people covered by the 2014 Moldovan census, 2,754,719 gave an answer as to their ethnic affiliation. Among them, 2,068,068 or 73.7% declared themselves Moldovans and 192,800 or 6.9% Romanians.[23] Some organisations such as the Liberal party of Moldova have criticised the census results, claiming Romanians comprise 85% of the population and that census officials have pressured respondents to declare themselves Moldovans instead of Romanians and have purposefully failed to cover urban respondents who are more likely to declared themselves Romanians as opposed to Moldovans[24]

At the same time, 181,035 declared themselves Ukrainians, 111,726 Russians, 126,010 Gagauz and 51,867 Bulgarians. The proportion of Ukrainians and Russians in the area controlled by Chișinău has fallen from 8,4% to 6,5% and 5,9% to 4,0% respectively between 2004 and 2014. Meanwhile, the percentage of Gagauz has risen slightly from 4,4% in 2004 to 4,5% in 2014.[8]

The proportion of Ukrainians and Russians in the previous 2004 census also decreased considerably in comparison to the last Soviet census in 1989: from 13.8% to 11.2% and from 13.0% to 9.4% respectively out of the combined population including Transnistria. This is mostly due to emigration.

Ukrainians mostly live in the east (Transnistria) and the north, while Russians mostly live in urban areas: 27% of all Russians live in Chișinău, 18% live in Tiraspol, 11% in Bender and 6% in Bălți. Most of the Gagauz live in the south of Moldova in the autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Total area

Population of Moldova according to ethnic group 1959–2014
Ethnic
group		 census 19591 census 19702 census 19793 census 19894 census 20045 census 20145
Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  %
Moldovans8 1,886,566 65.4 2,303,916 64.6 2,525,687 63.9 2,794,749 64.5 2,742,231 69.6 2,068,058 75.1
Romanians 1,663 0.1 1,581 0.0 1,657 0.0 2,477 0.1 73,529 1.9 192,800 7.0
Ukrainians 420,820 14.6 506,560 14.2 560,679 14.2 600,366 13.8 442,475 11.2 181,035 6.6
Gagauzians 95,856 3.3 124,902 3.5 138,000 3.5 153,548 3.5 151,596 3.8 126,010 4.6
Russians 292,930 10.2 414,444 11.6 505,730 12.8 562,069 13.0 369,896 9.4 111,726 4.1
Bulgarians 61,652 2.1 73,776 2.1 80,665 2.0 88,419 2.0 79,520 2.0 51,867 1.9
Romani 7,265 0.3 9,235 0.3 10,666 0.3 11,571 0.3 12,778 0.3 9,323 0.3
Jews 95,104 3.3 98,062 2.7 80,124 2.0 65,799 1.5 4,867 0.1 1,601 0.05
Poles 4,783 0.2 4,899 0.1 4,961 0.1 4,739 0.1 4,174 0.1 1,404 0.05
Others 17,838 0.6 31,498 0.9 41,587 1.1 51,623 1.2 57,613 1.5 10,900 0.5
Total 2,884,477 3,568,873 3,949,756 4,335,360 3,938,679 2,998,2355
1 Source: . 2 Source: . 3 Source: . 4 Source: . 5 Source: 6 2004 combined censuses of the government controlled area and Transnistria 6 2014 census only in government controlled area. 8 There is an ongoing controversy, whether Romanians and Moldovans should be counted together.

Declared country of birth for the current inhabitants of the part of Moldova under the central government control, according to the 2004 census:

ethnic group total population urban rural
totalMoldovaformer USSRother countriesnon-declaredtotalMoldovaformer USSRother countriesnon-declaredtotalMoldovaformer USSRother countriesnon-declared
Moldovans and Romanians2,638,125
100%		2,604,051
98.71%		30,360
1.15%		3,345
0.13%		369
0.01%		870,445
100%		848,554
%		19,501
%		2,081
%		309
%		1,767,680
100%		1,755,497
%		10,859
%		1,264
%		60
%
Ukrainians 282,406
100%		227,750
80.65%		54,036
19.13%		598
0.21%		22
0.01%		145,890
100%		103,039
%		42,318
%		514
%		19
%		136,516
100%
%		11,718
%		84
%		3
%
Russians 201,218
100%		129,664
64.44%		70,380
34.98%		1,096
0.54%		78
0.04%		166,395
100%		106,580
%		58,739
%		1,011
%		65
%		34,823
100%		23,084
%		11,641
%		85
%		13
%
Gagauzians 147,500
100%		144,268
97.81%		3,101
2.10%		120
0.08%		11
0.01%		53,613
100%		51,586
%		1,941
%		76
%		10
%		93,887
100%		92,682
%		1,160
%		44
%		1
%
Bulgarians65,662
100%		59,489
90.60%		5,968
9.09%		199
0.30%		6
0.01%		29,447
100%		25,215
%		4,071
%		156
%		5
%		36,215
100%		34,274
%		1,897
%		43
%		1
%
others 34,401
100%		22,702
65.99%		10,797
31.39%		894
2.60%		8
0.02%		26,058
100%		16,973
%		8,358
%		722
%		5
%		8,343
100%		5,729
%		2,439
%		172
%		3
%
non-declared 14,020
100%		13,894
99.10%		12
0.09%		28
0.20%		86
0.61%		13,807
100%		13,668
%		9
%		27
%		83
%		213
100%		206
%		3
%		1
%		3
%
Total3,383,332
100%		3,201,818
94.64%		174,654
5.16%		6,280
0.19%		580
0.02%		1,305,655
100%		1,165,635
89.28%		134,937
10.33%		4,587
0.35%		496
0.04%		2,077,677
100%		2,036,183
98.00%		39,717
1.91%		1,693
0.08%		84
0.004%

Population by district, according to the 2004 census:

PopulationMoldovans1UkrainiansRussiansGagauziansBulgariansRomanians1JewsPolesGypsiesothers
Chișinău712,218481,626
67.62%
 58,945
8.28%
 99,149
13.92%
 6,446
0.91%
 8,868
1.25%
 31,984
4.49%
 2,649
0.37%
 834
0.12%
 507
0.07%
 21,210
2.98%
Bălți127,56166,877
52.43%
 30,288
23.74%
 24,526
19.23%
 243
0.19%
 297
0.23%
 2,258
1.77%
 411
0.32%
 862
0.68%
 272
0.21%
 1,527
1.20%
Gagauzia155,6467,481
4.81%
 4,919
3.16%
 5,941
3.82%
 127,835
82.13%
 8,013
5.15%
 38
0.02%
 17
0.01%
 28
0.02%
 486
0.31%
 888
0.57%
Anenii Noi81,71068,761
84.15%
 6,526
7.99%
 4,135
5.06%
 235
0.29%
 481
0.59%
 857
1.05%
 17
0.02%
 28
0.03%
 228
0.28%
 442
0.54%
Basarabeasca28,97820,218
69.77%
 1,948
6.72%
 2,568
8.86%
 2,220
7.66%
 1,544
5.33%
 70
0.24%
 13
0.04%
 5
0.02%
 216
0.75%
 176
0.61%
Briceni78,02755,123
70.65%
 19,939
25.55%
 2,061
2.64%
 59
0.08%
 45
0.06%
 314
0.40%
 84
0.11%
 10
0.01%
 187
0.24%
 205
0.26%
Cahul119,23191,001
76.32%
 7,842
6.58%
 7,702
6.46%
 3,665
3.07%
 5,816
4.88%
 2,095
1.76%
 40
0.03%
 29
0.02%
 238
0.20%
 803
0.67%
Cantemir60,00152,986
88.31%
 969
1.61%
 710
1.18%
 519
0.86%
 3,736
6.23%
 910
1.52%
 –
0%
 11
0.02%
 43
0.07%
 117
0.19%
Călărași75,07569,190
92.16%
 2,799
3.73%
 947
1.26%
 54
0.07%
 47
0.06%
 1,490
1.98%
 21
0.03%
 11
0.01%
 378
0.50%
 138
0.18%
Căușeni90,61279,432
87.66%
 2,469
2.72%
 3,839
4.24%
 653
0.72%
 1,108
1.22%
 2,844
3.14%
 8
0.01%
 9
0.01%
 30
0.03%
 220
0.24%
Cimișlia60,92552,972
86.95%
 3,376
5.54%
 2,371
3.89%
 278
0.46%
 1,341
2.20%
 331
0.54%
 7
0.01%
 10
0.02%
 95
0.16%
 144
0.24%
Criuleni72,25467,046
92.79%
 2,692
3.73%
 1,008
1.40%
 49
0.07%
 72
0.10%
 1,170
1.62%
 6
0.01%
 6
0.01%
 36
0.05%
 169
0.23%
Dondușeni46,44237,302
80.32%
 5,893
12.69%
 2,714
5.84%
 31
0.07%
 36
0.08%
 247
0.53%
 12
0.03%
 15
0.03%
 68
0.15%
 124
0.27%
Drochia87,09274,369
85.39%
 9,849
11.31%
 1,641
1.88%
 44
0.05%
 33
0.04%
 675
0.78%
 14
0.02%
 10
0.01%
 272
0.31%
 185
0.21%
Dubăsari34,01532,652
95.99%
 521
1.53%
 611
1.80%
 45
0.13%
 16
0.05%
 102
0.30%
 9
0.03%
 2
0.01%
 –
0%
 57
0.17%
Edineț81,39058,749
72.18%
 16,084
19.76%
 5,084
6.25%
 143
0.18%
 91
0.11%
 446
0.55%
 23
0.03%
 26
0.03%
 499
0.61%
 245
0.30%
Fălești90,32075,863
83.99%
 10,711
11.86%
 3,064
3.39%
 39
0.04%
 32
0.04%
 306
0.34%
 6
0.01%
 20
0.02%
 57
0.06%
 222
0.25%
Florești89,38975,797
84.79%
 8,023
8.98%
 4,633
5.18%
 45
0.05%
 51
0.06%
 433
0.48%
 19
0.02%
 29
0.03%
 120
0.13%
 239
0.27%
Glodeni60,97546,317
75.96%
 11,918
19.55%
 1,693
2.78%
 32
0.05%
 44
0.07%
 329
0.54%
 8
0.01%
 174
0.29%
 303
0.50%
 157
0.26%
Hîncești119,762108,189
90.34%
 6,218
5.19%
 1,463
1.22%
 99
0.08%
 212
0.18%
 3,046
2.54%
 19
0.02%
 16
0.01%
 305
0.25%
 195
0.16%
Ialoveni97,70491,379
93.53%
 1,117
1.14%
 1,112
1.14%
 95
0.10%
 935
0.96%
 2,608
2.67%
 5
0.01%
 12
0.01%
 197
0.20%
 244
0.25%
Leova51,05643,673
85.54%
 1,245
2.44%
 1,167
2.29%
 432
0.85%
 3,804
7.45%
 471
0.92%
 8
0.02%
 9
0.02%
 105
0.21%
 142
0.28%
Nisporeni64,92460,774
93.61%
 223
0.34%
 339
0.52%
 17
0.03%
 28
0.04%
 2,329
3.59%
 1
<0.01%
 4
0.01%
 1,147
1.77%
 62
0.10%
Ocnița56,51032,491
57.50%
 17,351
30.70%
 2,764
4.89%
 79
0.14%
 60
0.11%
 104
0.18%
 14
0.02%
 43
0.08%
 3,417
6.05%
 187
0.33%
Orhei116,271100,469
86.41%
 4,520
3.89%
 2,216
1.91%
 113
0.10%
 90
0.08%
 8,253
7.10%
 46
0.04%
 23
0.02%
 221
0.19%
 320
0.28%
Rezina48,10544,721
92.97%
 1,691
3.52%
 1,093
2.27%
 34
0.07%
 40
0.08%
 375
0.78%
 30
0.06%
 5
0.01%
 13
0.03%
 103
0.21%
Rîșcani69,45450,391
72.55%
 15,632
22.51%
 1,726
2.49%
 60
0.09%
 61
0.09%
 777
1.12%
 8
0.01%
 42
0.06%
 602
0.87%
 155
0.22%
Sîngerei87,15374,139
85.07%
 8,456
9.70%
 3,029
3.48%
 47
0.05%
 43
0.05%
 1,162
1.33%
 10
0.01%
 48
0.06%
 56
0.06%
 163
0.19%
Soroca94,98684,728
89.20%
 4,752
5%
 2,601
2.74%
 53
0.06%
 48
0.05%
 931
0.98%
 65
0.07%
 17
0.02%
 1,564
1.65%
 227
0.24%
Strășeni88,90083,368
93.78%
 985
1.11%
 1,576
1.77%
 70
0.08%
 109
0.12%
 2,542
2.86%
 13
0.01%
 14
0.02%
 24
0.03%
 199
0.22%
Șoldănești42,22740,354
95.56%
 1,055
2.50%
 376
0.89%
 9
0.02%
 14
0.03%
 299
0.71%
 2
<0.01%
 -
0%
 74
0.18%
 44
0.10%
Ștefan Vodă70,59465,318
92.53%
 2,182
3.09%
 1,918
2.72%
 64
0.09%
 145
0.21%
 562
0.80%
 1
<0.01%
 4
0.01%
 219
0.31%
 181
0.26%
Taraclia43,1545,980
13.86%
 2,646
6.13%
 2,139
4.96%
 3,587
8.31%
 28,293
65.56%
 29
0.07%
 2
<0.01%
 9
0.02%
 218
0.51%
 251
0.58%
Telenești70,12667,309
95.98%
 879
1.25%
 537
0.77%
 16
0.02%
 16
0.02%
 1,262
1.80%
 4
0.01%
 1
<0.01%
 6
0.01%
 96
0.14%
Ungheni110,54597,805
88.48%
 7,743
7%
 2,766
2.50%
 90
0.08%
 93
0.08%
 1,627
1.47%
 16
0.01%
 17
0.02%
 68
0.06%
 320
0.29%
Subtotal controlled by central government3,383,3322,564,850
75.80%
 282,406
8.35%
 201,218
5.95%
 147,500
4.36%
 65,662
1.94%
 73,276
2.16%
 3,608
0.11%
 2,383
0.07%
 12,271
0.36%
 30,157
0.89%

1There is an ongoing controversy over whether Moldovans are a subset of Romanians, or a distinct ethnic group. At the 2004 Moldovan Census, citizens could declare only one nationality. Consequently, one could not declare oneself both Moldovan and Romanian.

Transnistrian-controlled areas

2015 census

According to the last census in Transnistria (October 2015), the population of the region was 475,373, a 14.47% decrease from the figure recorded at the 2004 census.[25] By ethnic composition, the population of Transnistria was distributed as follows:

Around 14% did not declare any ethnicity. For the first time, the population had the option to identify as "Transnistrian".[25]

2004 census

PopulationMold.RussiansUkrainiansGagauzesBulg.Gyps.JewsPolesBelor.Germ.Armen.others,
non-decl.
Tiraspol158,069 23,790

15.05%

  65,928

41.71%

  52,278

33.07%

  1,988

1.26%

  2,450

1.55%

  116

0.07%

  573

0.36%

  324

0.20%

  1,712

1.08%

  701

0.44%

  360

0.23%

  7,849
4.97%
Camenca District27,28413,048

47.82%

 1,880

6.89%

 11,610

42.55%

 43

0.16%

 59

0.22%

 9

0.03%

 10

0.04%

 447

1.64%

 85

0.31%

 26

0.10%

 16

0.06%

 51

0.19%

Rîbnița District82,69924,729

29.90%

 14,237

17.22%

 37,554

45.41%

 149

0.18%

 309

0.37%

 51

0.06%

 177

0.21%

 528

0.64%

 412

0.50%

 150

0.18%

 81

0.10%

 4,322

5.23%

Dubăsari District36,73418,080

49.22%

 7,125

19.40%

 10,594

28.84%

 92

0.25%

 134

0.36%

 46

0.13%

 46

0.13%

 53

0.14%

 185

0.50%

 63

0.17%

 126

0.34%

 190

0.52%

Grigoriopol District48,00031,118

64.83%

 7,332

15.28%

 8,333

17.36%

 123

0.26%

 240

0.50%

 13

0.03%

 26

0.05%

 100

0.21%

 187

0.39%

 327

0.68%

 62

0.13%

 139

0.29%

Slobozia District86,74236,651

42.25%

 20,636

23.79%

 19,872

22.91%

 512

0.59%

 7,323

8.44%

 133

0.15%

 35

0.04%

 137

0.16%

 475

0.55%

 496

0.57%

 140

0.16

 332

0.38%

Subtotal Transnistria439,528147,416

33.54%

 117,138

26.65%

 140,241

31.91%

 2,907

0.66%

 10,515

2.39%

 368

 0.08%

 867

 0.20%

 1,589

 0.36%

 3,056

0.70%

 1,763

 0.40%

 785

 0.18%

 12,883

2.93%

Bender (w/o Protegailovca)97,02724,374

25.12%

 41,949

43.23%

 17,348

17.88%

 1,066

1.10%

 3,001

3.09%

 132

0.14%

 383

0.39%

 190

0.21%

 713

0.73%

 258

0.27%

 173

0.18%

 7,440

7.67%

Proteagailovca3,142756–761

24.12%

 1,482

47.17%

 658

20.94%

 25

0.80%

 163

5.19%

 0–5

0.06%

 2

0.06%

 0–12

0.19%

 19

0.60%

 6

0.19%

 0–16

0.25%

 0–31

0.48%

Gîsca4,841819–824

16.98%

 2,956

61.06%

 719

14.85%

 91

1.88%

 168

3.47%

 0–5

0.04%

 7

0.14%

 0–12

0.12%

 8

0.17%

 22

0.45%

 0–16

0.17%

 13–44

0.60%

Chițcani (incl. Merenești and Zahorna)~9,000~3,100

~35%

 ~4,800

~53%

 ~900

~10%

 N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

~200

~2%

Cremenciug1,094465

42.50%

 353

32.27%

 203

18.56%

 7

0.64%

 11

1.01%

 2

0.18%

 -

-

 -

-

 15

1.37%

 22

2.01%

 6

0.55%

 10

0.91%

Roghi715[26]~700

~95%

 N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

~15

~5%

Subotal other localities115,81930,219

26.09%

 51,540

44.50%

 19,828

17.12%

 1,189

1.03%

 3,343

2.89%

 139

0.12%

 392

0.34%

 202

0.17%

 755

0.65%

 308

0.27%

 195

0.17%

 7,709

6.66%

Total Tiraspol-controlled areas555,347177,635

31.99%

 168,678

30.37%

 160,069

28.82%

 4,096

0.74%

 13,858

2.50%

 507

0.09%

 1,259

0.23%

 1,791

0.32%

 3,811

0.69%

 2,071

0.37%

 980

0.18%

 20,592

3.71%
Notes:
  • The exact numbers in the above table are taken from the data published by the Transnistrian breakaway authorities after the 2004 Census in Transnistria, except the population of Roghi, which was taken from website of the Dubăsari District of Transnistria.
  • The number of inhabitants of Slobozia District + that of the commune Chițcani was given by Transnistrian authorities as 95,742. Other sources indicate ~9,000 for Chițcani. In this table it is assumed there are 9,000 inhabitants in Chițcani, and 86,742 in Slobozia District. Should the exact data of the census for Chițcani be available, the entries in the lines of Slobozia District and of Chițcani should be corrected accordingly.
  • Transnistrian authorities have published the ethnic composition for the combined population of the Dubăsari District and the village of Roghi in Molovata Nouă commune. Other sources indicate that the latter is almost entirely Moldovan. In this table it is assumed that of the 715 inhabitants of this village, 700 are Moldovan and 15 are others. Should the exact ethnicity data of the census for Roghi be available, the entries for ethnicities in the lines of Dubăsari District and of Roghi should be corrected accordingly.
  • Percentages are calculated from the absolute numbers

Languages

Romanian is the official language of Moldova. However, many speakers use the term Moldovan to describe the language they speak, even though its literary standard is virtually identical to Romanian. Officially since 1990, it is written in the Latin alphabet.

Native language

Currently, 2,184,065 people or 80.2% of those covered by the 2014 census on the right bank of the Dniester or Moldova (proper) identified Moldovan or Romanian as their native language, of which 1,544,726 (55.1%) declared Moldovan and 639.339 (22.8%) declared it Romanian. 263,523 people or 9.4% have Russian as native language, 107,252 or 3.8% – Ukrainian, 114,532 or 4.1% – Gagauz, 41,756 or 1.5% – Bulgarian, 12,187 or 0.5% – another language. Only 2,723,315 declared their native language out of the 2,804,801 covered by the 2014 census.[8]

First language in daily use (2014 census)

According to the 2014 census, 2,720,377 answered to the question on "language usually used for communication". 2,138,964 people or 78.63% of the inhabitants of Moldova (proper) have Moldovan/Romanian as first language, of which 1,486,570 (53%) declared it Moldovan and 652,394 (23.3%) declared it Romanian. 394,133 people or 14.1% have Russian as language of daily use, 73.802 or 2.6% – Ukrainian, 74.167 or 2.6% – Gagauz, 26,577 or 0.9% – Bulgarian, and 12,734 or 0.5% – another language.[8]

First language in daily use (2004 census)

Ethnic group \ First languageMoldovan *RomanianRussianUkrainianGagauzianBulgarianother languagedid non declareTotal
Moldovans1,949,318475,126128,3729,1707991,113951–2,564,849
Romanians1,59769,9361,5378154116–73,276
Russians8,8522,805187,5261,224329344138–201,218
Ukrainians17,4914,158141,206118,699427294131–282,406
Gagauzians2,75660940,445413102,39582161–147,500
Bulgarians4,6521,04623,25918867335,80836–65,662
other ethnic groups3,8281,13318,6103392621819,85619234,401
did non declare46135–––2913,90914,020
Total by language of first use 1,988,540
58.77% 		 554,814
16.4% 		 540,990
15.99% 		 130,114
3.85% 		 104,890
3.10% 		 38,565
1.14% 		 11,318
0.34% 		 14,101
0.41% 		 3,383,332
100% 
* Moldovan language is one of the names used in the Republic of Moldova for the Romanian language.

Usage of own language by the ethnic groups of Moldova (2004 census)

ethnic groupown languageMoldovan and RomanianRussian
Moldovans94.52%–5%
Romanians97.62%–2.1%
Russians93.20%5.79%–
Ukrainians42.03%7.66%50.00%
Gagauzians69.42%2.28%27.42%
Bulgarians54.53%8.68%35.42%
othersup to 28.65%14.42%54.10%

Urban areas

ethnic groupown languageMoldovan and RomanianRussian
Moldovans86.71%–13.07%
Romanians96.88%–2.85%
Russians95.85%3.82%–
Ukrainians13.06%6.56%80.19%
Gagauzians40.10%2.19%57.23%
Bulgarians36.81%7.93%54.45%
othersup to 28.11%8.35%62.05%

Rural areas

ethnic groupown languageMoldovan and RomanianRussian
Moldovans98.24%–1.17%
Romanians98.76%–0.94%
Russians80.52%15.25%–
Ukrainians72.99%8.85%17.74%
Gagauzians86.16%2.33%10.40%
Bulgarians68.95%9.29%19.95%
othersup to 30.34%33.39%29.25%

Soviet era data

Ethnic map of Moldova (1989 data)

In the Soviet census of 1989 members of most of the ethnic groups in Moldavian SSR claimed the language of their ethnicity as their mother tongue: Moldovans (95%), Ukrainians (62%), Russians (99%), Gagauz (91%), Bulgarians (79%), and Gipsies (82%). The exceptions were Jews (26% citing Yiddish), Belarusians (43%), Germans (31%), and Poles (10%).

In the Soviet census of 1989, 62% of the total population claimed Moldovan as their native language. Only 4% of the entire population claimed Moldovan as a second language.

In 1979, Russian was claimed as a native language by a large proportion of Jews (66%) and Belarusians (62%), and by a significant proportion of Ukrainians (30%). Proportions of other ethnicities naming Russian as a native language ranged from 17% of Bulgarians to 3% of Moldovans (Russian was more spoken by urban Moldovans than by rural Moldovans). Russian was claimed as a second language by a sizeable proportion of all ethnicities: Moldovans (46%), Ukrainians (43%), Gagauz (68%), Jews (30%), Bulgarians (67%), Belarusians (34%), Germans (53%), Roma (36%), and Poles (24%).

Religion (2004 census)

According to the 2004 census, the population of Moldova has the following religious composition:

ReligionAdherents % of total
Eastern Orthodox Christians3,158,01593.3%

Newer Protestant faiths

Baptists
Seventh-day Adventists
Pentecostal
Christians of Evangelical Faith a


32,754    
13,503    
9,179    
5,075    

1.79%
0.97%    
0.40%    
0.27%    
0.15%    

Traditional Protestant

Confessional Evangelicals
Reformed
Evangelical Synod-Presbyterians


1,429    
1,190    
3,596    

0.19%
0.04%    
0.04%    
0.11%    

Old-Rite Christians b5,0940.15%
Roman Catholics4,6450.14%
Other religions29,8130.88%
Non-religious33,2070.98%
Atheists12,7240.38%

Notes: 75,727 (2.24% of population) did not answer that question.
a Known as Creștini după Evanghelie, Pentecostal group.
b Traditionally Orthodox Lipovans.

History

In 1940–1941, and 1944–1991, the Soviet government strictly limited the activities of the Orthodox Church (and all religions) and at times sought to exploit it, with the ultimate goal of abolishing it and all religious activity altogether. Most Orthodox churches and monasteries in Moldova were demolished or converted to other uses, such as administrative buildings or warehouses, and clergy were sometimes punished for leading services. Still, many believers continued to practice their faith.

People in the independent Moldova have much greater religious freedom than they did in Soviet times. Legislation passed in 1992 guarantees religious freedom, but requires all religious groups to be officially recognized by the government.

Orthodox Christians

In 1991, Moldova had 853 Orthodox churches and eleven Orthodox monasteries (four for monks and seven for nuns). In 1992 construction or restoration of 221 churches was underway, but clergy remained in short supply. As of 2004, Christian Orthodox constitute the vast majority of the population in all districts of Moldova.

In the interwar period, the vast majority of ethnic Moldovans belonged to the Romanian Orthodox Church (Bucharest Patriarchate), but today both Romanian and Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) have jurisdiction in Moldova, with the latter having more parishes. According to the local needs, liturgy is performed in Romanian, Russian, and Turkic (Gagauz). After the revival of religious activity in the last 20 years, a minority of the clergy and the faithful wanted to return to the Bucharest Patriarchate (Metropolis of Bessarabia). Because higher-level church authorities were unable to resolve the matter, Moldova now has two episcopates, one for each patriarchate. After the Soviet occupation in 1940, the Metropolis was downgraded to a Bishopric. In late 1992, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia issued a decree upgrading its eparchy of Chișinău and Moldova to a Metropolis.

Greek Catholics

Moldova also has a Greek Catholic minority, mainly among ethnic Ukrainians, although the Soviet government declared the Greek Catholic Churches illegal in 1946 and forcibly united them with the Russian Orthodox Church. However, the Greek Catholic Churches had survived underground until the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Roman Catholics

Half of Moldova's Roman Catholics are in Chișinău, and 1/5 in Bălți.

Old Believers

In addition, the Old Russian Orthodox Church (Old Believers) had fourteen churches and one monastery in Moldova in 1991.

Half of Moldova's Old Believers are in Florești district, and 1/5 in Sîngerei district.

Judaism

Despite the Soviet government's suppression and harassment, Moldova's practicing Jews managed to retain their religious identity. About a dozen Jewish newspapers were started in the early 1990s, and religious leaders opened a synagogue in Chișinău; there were six Jewish communities of worship throughout the country. In addition, Moldova's government created the Department of Jewish Studies at Chișinău State University, mandated the opening of a Jewish high school in Chișinău, and introduced classes in Judaism in high schools in several cities. The government also provides financial support to the Society for Jewish Culture.

Protestants

There are around 65,000 Protestants of all sects in Moldova today. There are more than 1,000 Baptists in the cities of Chișinău and Bălți, in Cahul, Fălești, Hîncești, Sîngerei, Ștefan Vodă, and Ungheni districts, and in Găgăuzia. There are more than 1,000 Seventh-day Adventists in Cahul, Hîncești and Sîngerei districts, and in Găgăuzia, there are more than 1,000 Pentecostals in Chișinău and in Briceni district. There are more than 1,000 members of Brethren assemblies only in Chișinău. There are more than 1,000 Evangelical Synod-Presbyterians only in Chișinău.

Others

Other religious denominations in Moldova include:

Immigration

Foreign citizens (according to the Office of Migration and Asylum):[27][28][29]

Country2018201920202021
 Ukraine6,7866,8345,3185,404
 Russia5,7425,9534,0683,905
 Turkey9431,2929421,248
European Union Romania9881,0371,0121,172
 Israel2,2001,9291,4121,107
 India256520634773
European Union Italy501535449474
 Azerbaijan371458433404
 United States433507364282
 Belarus327309240255
 Uzbekistan164327172227
 Armenia211229209218
 Kazakhstan202220179181
 Tajikistan––106133
European Union Germany131123101121
 Syria140134112110
 Georgia98110101105
Others3,2713,3131,3101,551
Total22,76423,83017,162~18,600

Secondary demographic indices

Average age

Average age of the population (years) on the fifth[30]
The year19921995growth2000growth2005growth2010growth2015growth
Years
32,032,4
+0.4
33,4
+1.0
34,9
+1.5
36,2
+1.3
37,5
+1.3

Life expectancy at birth

Life expectancy in Moldova since 1950
Life expectancy in Moldova since 1960 by gender

Since 2000, there has been a continuous increase in life expectancy, except for 2005, a year in which there was a high level of general and infant mortality. In 2013, this indicator recorded the maximum value of the given period – 71.85 years, including men – 68.1 and women – 75.5 years.[31] The significant increase in life expectancy was influenced by the decrease in the overall mortality rate to 10.7 deaths per 1000 inhabitants, and the infant death rate, which constituted 9.4 deaths under one year per 1,000 live births.

Average life expectancy (years) based on sex after decades, five and a half years[32]
The year1960197019801990199520002005201020152016
Women:Increase69,8Increase72,1Decrease68,8Increase71,9Decrease69,7Increase71,2Increase71,7Increase73,4Increase75,5Increase76,1
Average time:Increase68,1Increase69,4Decrease65,6Increase68,0Decrease65,8Increase67,6Increase67,9Increase69,1Increase71,5Increase72,2
Men:Increase65,6Increase66,3Decrease62,4Increase63,9Decrease61,8Increase63,9Decrease63,8Increase65,0Increase67,5Increase68,1

Population by sex

Gender composition of the population, after decades[33]
Year197019801990200020102015
Men46,76%47,25%47,64%47,87%48,08%48,10%
Women53,24%52,75%52,36%52,13%51,92%51,90%
Men per 1.000 women878896910918926927

Infant mortality

Children under 1 year old in 1,000 newborns:[34]

The Year198019851990199520002005201020152017
ChildrenPositive decrease35,0Positive decrease30,9Positive decrease19,0Negative increase21,2Positive decrease18,3Positive decrease12,4Positive decrease11,7Positive decrease9,7Positive decrease9,4

Marriage

Year Number
marriages		 per 1000 inhabitants Number
divorce		 per 1000 inhabitants
1980 46.083 11,5 11.273 2,8
1985 40.901 Decrease9,7 11.176 Positive decrease2,7
1990 40.809 Decrease9,4 13.135 Negative increase3,0
1995 32.775 Decrease7,5 14.617 Negative increase3,4
2000 21.684 Decrease6,0 9.707 Positive decrease2,7
2005 27.187 Increase7,6 14.521 Negative increase4,0
2010 26.483 Decrease7,4 11.504 Positive decrease3,2
2011 25.900 Decrease7,3 11.120 Positive decrease3,1
2012 24.262 Decrease6,8 10.637 Positive decrease3,0
2013 24.449 Increase6,9 10.775 Steady3,0
2014 25.624 Increase7,2 11.130 Negative increase3,1
2015 24.709 Decrease6,9 11.199 Steady3,1
2016 21.992 Decrease6,2 10.605 Positive decrease3,0

Urban and rural population

Density of population per km2, depending on administrative unit
YearUrban population %Rural population %
20001.486.41040,892.148.70259,11
2001Decrease1.485.21040,94Decrease2.142.60259,06
2002Decrease1.484.14241,02Decrease2.134.17058,98
2003Decrease1.477.92740,97Decrease2.129.50859,03
2004Decrease1.476.02841,00Decrease2.124.40859,00
2005Decrease1.469.82840,94Decrease2.120.10859,06
2006Increase1.478.01141,27Decrease2.103.09958,73
2007Decrease1.476.11041,32Decrease2.096.59358,68
2008Decrease1.476.09941,37Decrease2.091.41358,63
2009Increase1.476,68141,44Decrease2.087.01458,56
2010Increase1.481.69641,62Decrease2.078.73458,38
2011Increase1.485.76641,74Decrease2.073.77558,26
2012Increase1.492.16541,92Decrease2.067.33258,08
2013Increase1.502.99642,25Decrease2.054.63857,75
2014Increase1.507.26542,40Decrease2.047.89457,60
2015Increase1.511.05142,53Decrease2.042.00557,47
2016Increase1.516.80042,71Decrease2.034.10057,47

See also

References

Inline:

  1. ↑ "Population with usually resident population by sex and age group in territorial profile on 1 January 2023".
  2. ↑ 2014 Moldovan census
  3. ↑ "Key results of the 2014 Population and Housing Census". 31 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "В Приднестровье проживают 475 007 человек". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Moldova". Central Intelligence Agency. 2 May 2023 – via CIA.gov.
  6. ↑ (in English) UN (2001/2002)
  7. ↑ (in English) UN (2000)
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Rezultatele Recensămîntului Populației și al Locuințelor 2014". 2 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "В ПРИДНЕСТРОВЬЕ ПРОЖИВАЕТ БОЛЕЕ 475 ТЫС. ЧЕЛОВЕК".
  10. ↑ "Statistical Yearbooks of the Russian Empire". Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Demographic Yearbook". United Nations Statistics Division.
  12. ↑ "Statistica Moldovei". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  13. ↑ "Biroul Național de Statistică al Republicii Moldova". Biroul Național de Statistică al Republicii Moldova.
  14. ↑ (in Romanian) Biroul Național de Statistică prezintă numărul revizuit al populației Republicii Moldova și datele despre migrația internațională | Infografice cu privire la numărul revizuit al populației și indicatori demografici
  15. ↑ "Numărul populaţiei cu reședința obișnuită în Republica Moldova pe sexe şi grupe de vârstă la începutul anului 2019". Numărul populaţiei cu reședința obișnuită în Republica Moldova pe sexe şi grupe de vârstă la începutul anului 2019. 17 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "Quarterly statistical bulletin". 10 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Natural movement".
  18. 1 2 "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Yearbook of the State Statistics Service". Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "Главная". Министерство экономического развития.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Иван Тыняев (18 February 2023). "Демография – 2022". newspmr.com.
  22. ↑ "The DHS Program – Quality information to plan, monitor and improve population, health, and nutrition programs".
  23. ↑ Statistică, Biroul Naţional de (2 August 2013). "// Recensămîntul populației și al locuințelor 2014". Statistica.md. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  24. ↑ "Partidul Liberal despre datele Recensamantului din 2014, prezentate abia astazi, in 2017: "Sunt viciate si nu reflecta realitatea din Republica Moldova"".
  25. 1 2 Перепись населения ПМР [Population census of PMR]. newspmr.com (in Russian). 9 March 2017.
  26. ↑ "Webpage of Dubăsari District of Transnistria". Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
  27. ↑ "Compendiul Statistic al Profilului Migrațional Extins al Republicii Moldova pentru anii 2017-2019" (PDF). BMA.gov.
  28. ↑ "Stocul străinilor în Republica Moldova" (PDF). ANUAR STATISTIC: Imigrarea străinilor, azilul și apatridia în Republica Moldova în anul 2020.
  29. ↑ "Informație despre numărul străinilor documentați cu permise de ședere în Republica Moldova la data de 31.12.2021" (PDF).
  30. ↑ BNS: Vоrsta medie a popula?iei dupa ani, medii ?i sexe
  31. ↑ "Durata medie a vietii оn Republica Moldova оn anul 2013". 17 July 2014.
  32. ↑ BNS: Speran?a de via?a la na?tere dupa ani, medii ?i sexe
  33. ↑ "Populația stabilă, la începutul anului după Ani, Medii și Sexe, 1970 – 2013".
  34. ↑ "Mortalitatea infantilă pe sexe și medii, 1980–2012". Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  35. ↑ Populația și procesele demografice. Căsătorii și Divorțuri statistica.md
  36. ↑ "Popula?ia stabila pe sexe ?i medii, la оnceputul anului, 1970–2013". Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  37. ↑ Structura popula?iei stabile a Republicii Moldova pe sexe ?i vоrste la 1 ianuarie 2014 statistica.md Accesat la 20.05.2014

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