Demographics of Moldova

(Redirected from Census in Moldova)

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

Demographics of Moldova
Moldova population pyramid in 2020
PopulationDecrease 2,423,300[1] (01.01.2024, 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

Overview of the demographic statistics

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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)
male 32.4 years
(up from 30.14 years in 2005)
female 36.4 years
(up from 34.27 years in 2005)
Literacy rate
total 96% (1989); 99.1% (2003); 99.1% (2005)
male 99% (1989); 99.6% (2003); 99.7% (2005)
female 94% (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

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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)

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no type name population urban rural
population % cities population % communes
1 municipality Chișinău 712,218 644,204 90.45% 7 68,014 9.55% 12
2 municipality Bălți 127,561 122,669 96.16% 1 4,892 3.84% 2
3 auton.territ.unit Găgăuzia 155,646 58,190 37.39% 3 97,456 62.61% 23
4 district Anenii Noi 81,710 8,358 10.23% 1 73,352 89.77% 25
5 district Basarabeasca 28,978 11,192 38.62% 1 17,786 61.38% 6
6 district Briceni 78,027 14,230 18.24% 2 63,797 81.76% 26
7 district Cahul 119,231 35,488 29.76% 1 83,743 70.24% 36
8 district Cantemir 60,001 3,872 6.45% 1 56,129 93.55% 26
9 district Călărași 75,075 14,516 19.34% 1 60,559 80.66% 27
10 district Căușeni 90,612 21,941 24.21% 2 68,671 75.79% 25 (out of 28)
11 district Cimișlia 60,925 12,858 21.10% 1 48,067 78.90% 22
12 district Criuleni 72,254 7,138 9.88% 1 65,116 90.12% 24
13 district Dondușeni 46,442 9,801 21.10% 1 36,641 78.90% 21
14 district Drochia 87,092 16,606 19.07% 1 70,486 80.93% 27
15 district Dubăsari 43,015 34,015 100% 11
16 district Edineț 81,390 23,065 % 2 58,325 % 30
17 district Fălești 90,320 14,931 % 1 75,389 % 32
18 district Florești 89,389 17,086 % 3 17,086 % 37
19 district Glodeni 60,975 10,465 % 1 50,510 % 18
20 district Hîncești 119,762 15,281 % 1 104,481 % 38
21 district Ialoveni 97,704 15,041 % 1 82,663 % 24
22 district Leova 51,056 14,411 % 2 36,645 % 23
23 district Nisporeni 64,924 12,105 % 1 52,819 % 22
24 district Ocnița 56,510 19,270 % 3 37,240 % 18
25 district Orhei 116,271 25,641 % 1 90,630 % 37
26 district Rezina 48,105 10,196 % 1 37,909 % 24
27 district Rîșcani 69,454 13,351 % 2 56,103 % 26
28 district Sîngerei 87,153 15,760 % 2 71,393 % 24
29 district Soroca 94,986 28,362 % 1 66,624 % 34
30 district Strășeni 88,900 19,633 % 2 69,267 % 25
31 district Șoldănești 42,227 6,304 % 1 35,923 % 22
32 district Ștefan Vodă 70,594 7,768 % 1 62,826 % 22
33 district Taraclia 43,154 13,756 % 1 29,398 % 14
34 district Telenești 70,126 6,855 % 1 63,271 % 30
35 district Ungheni 110,545 35,311 % 2 75,234 % 31
Subtotal control by central government 3,383,332 1,305,655 38.59% 54 2,077,677 61.41% 844
36 territorial unit Transnistria 383,806 280,6401 63.85% 10 158,8881 36.15% 69
37 municipality Bender 91,197 88,055 96.86% 1 3,142 3.14% 1
10 parts of district Căușeni 14,935 14,935 100% 3 (out of 28)
15 parts of district Dubăsari 715 715 100% parts of 1
Subtotal control by breakaway Tiraspol 555,347 377,667 68.01% 11 177,680 31.99% 73
Total 3,938,679 1,683,322 42.74% 65 2,255,357 57.26% 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.)

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[9]

Population urban rural
population cities population communes
Tiraspol 129,367 129,367 1
Camenca District 20 542 ? 1 ? 12
Rîbnița District 69,000 ? 1 ? 22
Dubăsari District 31,000 ? 1 ? 9
Grigoriopol District 40,000 ?1 2 ?1 14
Slobozia District 84,000 ?2 4 ?2 12
Subtotal Transnistria 383,806 ? 10 ? 69
Bender (w/o Proteagailovca) 91,197 91,197 1
Proteagailovca 3,142 3,142 1
Gîsca 4,841 4,841 1
Chițcani (incl. Merenești and Zahorna) ~9,000 ~9,000 1
Cremenciug 1,094 1,094 1
Roghi 715 715 parts of 1
Subotal other localities 109,989 91,197 1 18,792 4
Total Tiraspol-controlled areas 475,003 333,003 11 142,000 73

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

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[10]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration rate (per 1000
1900 2,037,000 83,306 48,480 34,826 40.9 23.8 17.1
1901 2,073,000 87,797 46,296 41,501 42.3 22.3 20.0 -2.3
1902 2,113,000 96,641 55,423 41,218 45.7 26.2 19.5 -0.2
1903 2,154,000 94,936 53,236 41,700 44.1 24.7 19.4 0
1904 2,194,000 99,265 55,436 43,829 45.3 25.3 20.0 -1.4
1905 2,237,000 80,085 62,387 17,698 35.8 27.9 7.9 11.7
1906 2,267,000 95,090 55,638 39,452 41.9 24.5 17.4 -4.0
1907 2,303,000 107,195 59,964 47,231 46.5 26.0 20.5 -4.6
1908 2,345,000 96,088 54,772 41,316 41.0 23.4 17.6 0.6
1909 2,395,000 105,681 62,498 43,183 44.1 26.1 18.0 3.3
1910 2,441,000 101,544 77,356 24,188 41.6 31.7 9.9 9.3
1911 2,488,000 97,864 74,093 23,771 39.3 29.8 9.6 9.7
1912 2,540,000 102,654 77,431 25,223 40.4 30.5 9.9 11.0
1913 2,602,000 102,397 77,745 24,652 39.4 29.9 9.5 14.9
1914 2,625,000 100,871 79,202 21,669 38.4 30.2 8.3 0.5

After WW II, total area

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[11][12]

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration rate (per 1000) Total fertility rate Urban Fertility Rural Fertility
1945 2,028,000(e) 42,795 78,797 −36,002 21.1 38.9 −17.8
1946 2,254,000(e) 64,462 64,371 91 28.6 28.5 0.1 111.3
1947 2,188,000(e) 57,555 165,049 −107,494 26.3 75.5 −49.2 19.9
1948 2,126,000(e) 73,123 35,846 37,277 34.4 16.9 17.5 19.9
1949 2,236,000(e) 94,180 30,407 63,773 42.1 13.6 28.5 23.2
1950 2,341,000 91,137 26,363 64,774 38.9 11.3 27.7 19.3
1951 2,381,000 91,645 25,957 65,688 38.5 10.9 27.6 -10.5
1952 2,432,000 80,918 30,968 49,950 33.3 12.7 20.5 0.9
1953 2,491,000 79,041 23,257 55,784 31.7 9.3 22.4 1.9
1954 2,557,000 83,607 24,077 59,530 32.7 9.4 23.3 3.2
1955 2,627,000 79,772 21,864 57,908 30.4 8.3 22.0 5.4
1956 2,701,000 81,372 20,109 61,263 30.1 7.4 22.7 5.5
1957 2,777,000 85,743 21,114 64,629 30.9 7.6 23.3 4.8
1958 2,853,000 87,502 18,741 68,761 30.7 6.6 24.1 3.3 3.54
1959 2,929,000 92,176 21,467 70,709 31.5 7.3 24.1 2.5 3.64
1960 3,003,000 87,910 19,290 68,620 29.3 6.4 22.9 2.4 3.41
1961 3,073,000 86,683 19,590 67,093 28.2 6.4 21.8 1.5 3.20
1962 3,141,000 80,494 21,365 59,129 25.6 6.8 18.8 3.3 3.00
1963 3,208,000 78,422 20,737 57,685 24.4 6.5 18.0 3.3 2.89
1964 3,273,000 73,583 19,944 53,639 22.5 6.1 16.4 3.9 2.71
1965 3,335,000 67,996 20,571 47,425 20.4 6.2 14.2 4.7 2.68
1966 3,395,000 71,406 21,474 49,932 21.0 6.3 14.5 3.5 2.73
1967 3,453,000 71,380 23,406 47,974 20.7 6.8 13.7 3.4 2.69
1968 3,506,000 69,997 24,268 45,729 20.0 6.9 13.0 2.3 2.65
1969 3,549,000 67,575 26,249 41,326 19.0 7.4 11.5 0.8 2.58
1970 3,594,000 69,778 26,577 43,201 19.4 7.4 12.0 0.7 2.56
1971 3,647,000 73,643 27,889 45,754 20.2 7.6 12.5 2.2 2.63
1972 3,700,000 76,198 28,001 48,197 20.6 7.6 13.0 1.5 2.63
1973 3,748,000 76,339 30,756 45,583 20.4 8.2 12.2 0.8 2.59
1974 3,794,000 77,474 32,216 45,258 20.4 8.5 11.9 0.4 2.55
1975 3,839,000 79,169 35,635 43,534 20.6 9.3 11.3 0.6 2.52
1976 3,877,000 79,863 34,812 45,051 20.6 9.0 11.6 -1.7 2.46
1977 3,910,000 79,022 37,250 41,772 20.2 9.5 10.7 -2.2 2.40
1978 3,936,000 78,994 38,410 40,584 20.1 9.8 10.3 -3.7 2.38 1.70 3.00
1979 3,967,000 80,152 41,729 38,423 20.2 10.5 9.7 -1.8 2.39 1.80 2.90
1980 4,010,000 79,580 40,472 39,108 19.8 10.1 9.8 1.0 2.41 1.80 2.90
1981 4,054,000 82,279 41,476 40,803 20.3 10.2 10.1 0.9 2.45 1.80 3.10
1982 4,097,000 83,258 41,046 42,212 20.3 10.0 10.3 0.3 2.43 1.79 3.19
1983 4,137,000 91,304 44,329 46,975 22.1 10.7 11.4 -1.6 2.57 1.87 3.46
1984 4,175,000 89,637 45,537 44,100 21.5 10.9 10.6 -1.4 2.67 1.95 3.65
1985 4,214,000 90,453 46,075 44,378 21.5 10.9 10.5 -1.2 2.70 2.00 3.70
1986 4,255,000 94,726 40,437 54,289 22.3 9.5 12.8 -3.1 2.78 2.00 3.80
1987 4,290,000 91,762 40,185 51,577 21.4 9.4 12.0 -3.8 2.70 2.10 3.80
1988 4,321,000 88,568 40,912 47,656 20.5 9.5 11.0 -3.8 2.63 2.00 3.60
1989 4,349,000 82,221 40,113 42,108 18.9 9.2 9.7 -3.2 2.46 2.02 3.00
1990 4,364,000 77,085 42,427 34,658 17.7 9.7 7.9 -4.5 2.39 1.91 3.07
1991 4,363,000 72,020 45,849 26,171 16.5 10.5 6.0 -6.2 2.26 1.79 2.84
1992 4,353,000 69,654 44,522 25,132 16.0 10.2 5.8 -8.1 2.21 1.68 2.86
1993 4,350,000 66,179 46,637 19,542 15.2 10.7 4.5 -5.2 2.10 1.53 2.77
1994 4,350,000 62,085 51,514 10,571 14.3 12.0 2.3 -2.3 1.95 1.44 2.54
1995 4,340,000 56,411 52,969 3,442 13.0 12.2 0.8 -3.1 1.76 1.31 2.24
1996 4,325,000 51,865 49,748 2,117 12.0 11.5 0.5 -4.0 1.60 1.19 2.05
1997 4,311,000 51,286 51,138 148 11.9 11.9 0.0 -3.2 1.55
1998 4,318,000 46,705 47,691 −986 10.8 11.0 −0.2 1.8 1.48
1999 4,307,000 43,511 48,904 −5,393 10.1 11.4 −1.3 -1.2 1.43

(e)= estimate

Moldova under the central government control

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Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration rate (per 1000) Total fertility rate (TFR) Urban TFR Rural TFR Life Expectancy
(total)
Life Expectancy
(male)
Life Expectancy
(female)
1997 3,654,000 45,583 42,957 2,626 12.5 11.8 0.7 1.73 1.36 2.09 66.61 62.86 70.30
1998 3,652,000 41,332 39,922 1,410 11.3 10.9 0.4 -0.9 1.67 1.32 2.03 67.77 64.03 71.39
1999 3,647,000 38,501 41,315 −2,814 10.6 11.3 −0.8 -0.6 1.61 1.26 1.97 67.44 63.74 71.04
2000 3,640,000 36,939 41,224 −4,285 10.2 11.3 −1.2 -0.7 1.57 1.23 1.95 67.59 63.87 71.22
2001 3,631,000 36,448 40,075 −3,627 10.0 11.0 −1.0 -1.5 1.48 1.21 1.92 68.20 64.50 71.75
2002 3,623,000 35,705 41,852 −6,147 9.9 11.6 −1.7 -0.5 1.41 1.13 1.89 68.13 64.40 71.71
2003 3,613,000 36,471 43,079 −6,608 10.1 11.9 −1.8 -1.0 1.47 1.18 1.88 68.13 64.47 71.64
2004 3,604,000 38,272 41,668 −3,396 10.6 11.6 −0.9 -1.6 1.50 1.19 1.91 68.38 64.50 72.16
2005 3,595,000 37,695 44,689 −6,994 10.5 12.4 −1.9 -0.6 1.219 0.94 1.301 67.85 63.84 71.66
2006 3,586,000 37,587 43,137 −5,550 10.5 12.0 −1.5 -1.0 1.228 1.025 1.387 68.40 64.57 72.23
2007 3,577,000 37,973 43,050 −5,077 10.6 12.0 −1.4 -1.1 1.256 0.973 1.543 68.79 65.04 72.56
2008 3,570,000 39,018 41,948 −2,930 10.9 11.7 −0.8 -1.2 1.277 1.018 1.533 69.36 65.55 73.17
2009 3,566,000 40,803 42,139 −1,336 11.4 11.8 −0.4 -0.7 1.326 1.048 1.582 69.31 65.31 73.37
2010 3,563,000 40,474 43,631 −3,157 11.4 12.3 −0.9 0.1 1.309 1.055 1.531 69.11 65.00 73.41
2011 3,560,000 39,182 39,249 −67 11.0 11.0 −0.0 -0.8 1.266 1.009 1.482 70.88 66.82 74.93
2012 3,560,000 39,435 39,560 −125 11.0 11.1 −0.1 0.1 1.279 1.030 1.483 71.12 67.24 74.99
2013 3,559,000 37,871 38,060 −189 10.6 10.7 −0.1 -0.2 1.238 0.975 1.449 71.85 68.05 75.55
2014 2,857,815 40,709 39,522 1,187 14.3 13.8 0.5 -197.5 1.82 1.52 2.04 69.33 65.20 73.60
2015 2,835,978 40,547 39,800 747 14.4 14.1 0.4 -8.0 1.87 1.52 2.11 69.37 65.22 73.72
2016 2,803,186 39,640 38,412 1,228 14.3 13.7 0.5 -12.1 1.89 1.56 2.12 69.85 65.68 74.20
2017 2,755,189 36,363 36,779 −416 13.2 13.3 −0.2 -16.9 1.81 1.49 2.03 70.77 66.71 74.92
2018 2,707,203 34,537 37,263 −2,726 12.8 13.8 −1.0 -16.4 1.81 1.48 2.03 70.6 66.3 75.0
2019 2,664,224 32,423 36,411 −3,988 12.2 13.7 −1.5 -14.4 1.78 1.47 1.99 70.9 66.8 75.2
2020 2,635,130 30,834 40,717 −9,883 11.7 15.5 −3.8 -7.1 1.76 1.46 1.98 69.9 66.0 73.9
2021 2,595,809 29,320 45,464 −16,144 11.3 17.5 −6.2 -8.7 1.75 1.48 1.94 69.0 65.1 72.9
2022 2,538,894 27,018 36,196 –9,178 10.6 14.3 −3.6 -18.3 1.69 1.46 1.87 71.4 67.1 75.7
2023 2,492,300 24,033 33,733 –9,700 9.8 13.7 −3.9 1.61 72.0 67.5 76.4
  • 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

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[16][17]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January – June 2023 10,299 17,795 -7,496
January – June 2024 10,187 17,089 -6,902
Difference   -112 (-1.09%)   -706 (-3.97%)   +594

Structure of the population

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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

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[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 5,703 8,181 −2,478 8.7 12.5 −3.8
1998 665,700 5,373 7,769 -2,396 8.1 11.7 -3.6
1999 660,000 5,010 7,589 -2,579 7.6 11.5 -3.9
2000 651,800 5,010 7,770 -2,760 7.7 11.9 -4.2
2001 642,500 4,505 7,759 -3,254 7.0 12.1 -5.1
2002 633,600 4,630 8,118 -3,488 7.3 12.8 -5.5
2003 623,800 4,440 8,192 -3,752 7.1 13.1 -6.0
2004 554,400 4,840 8,031 -3,191 8.7 14.5 -5.8
2005 547,500 4,664 8,186 -3,522 8.5 15.0 -7.5
2006 540,600 4,868 8,306 -3,438 9.0 15.4 -6.4
2007 533,500 4,893 8,132 -3,239 9.2 15.2 -6.1
2008 527,500 5,290 7,967 -2,677 10.0 15.1 -5.1
2009 522,500 5,189 7,454 -2,265 9.9 14.3 -4.3
2010 518,000 5,189 7,709 -2,520 10.0 14.9 -4.9
2011 513,400 4,999 7,289 -2,290 9.7 14.2 -4.5
2012 509,400 5,173 7,280 -2,107 10.2 14.3 -4.1
2013 505,200 4,806 6,867 -2,061 9.5 13.6 -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
2023[22] 455,700 2,588 6,152 -3,564 5.7 13.5 -7.8

Current vital statistics

edit

[22]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January – December 2022 2,820 6,483 -3,663
January – December 2023 2,588 6,152 -3,564
Difference   -232 (-8.2%)   -331 (-5.1%)   99

Fertility Rate (The Demographic Health Survey)

edit

[23] 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

edit
 
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.[24] 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.[25]

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

edit
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: [1] Archived 16 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 2 Source: [2] Archived 3 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine. 3 Source: [3] Archived 24 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 4 Source: [4] Archived 16 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 5 Source: [5] Archived 30 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine[6] Archived 7 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine 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
total Moldova former USSR other countries non-declared total Moldova former USSR other countries non-declared total Moldova former USSR other countries non-declared
Moldovans and Romanians 2,638,125
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
%
Bulgarians 65,662
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
%
Total 3,383,332
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:

Population Moldovans1 Ukrainians Russians Gagauzians Bulgarians Romanians1 Jews Poles Gypsies others
Chișinău 712,218 481,626
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%
Bălți 127,561 66,877
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%
Gagauzia 155,646 7,481
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 Noi 81,710 68,761
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%
Basarabeasca 28,978 20,218
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%
Briceni 78,027 55,123
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%
Cahul 119,231 91,001
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%
Cantemir 60,001 52,986
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%
Călărași 75,075 69,190
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%
Căușeni 90,612 79,432
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%
Cimișlia 60,925 52,972
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%
Criuleni 72,254 67,046
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%
Dondușeni 46,442 37,302
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%
Drochia 87,092 74,369
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%
Dubăsari 34,015 32,652
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%
Edineț 81,390 58,749
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%
Fălești 90,320 75,863
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%
Florești 89,389 75,797
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%
Glodeni 60,975 46,317
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%
Hîncești 119,762 108,189
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%
Ialoveni 97,704 91,379
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%
Leova 51,056 43,673
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%
Nisporeni 64,924 60,774
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%
Ocnița 56,510 32,491
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%
Orhei 116,271 100,469
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%
Rezina 48,105 44,721
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%
Rîșcani 69,454 50,391
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%
Sîngerei 87,153 74,139
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%
Soroca 94,986 84,728
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%
Strășeni 88,900 83,368
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%
Șoldănești 42,227 40,354
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 Vodă 70,594 65,318
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%
Taraclia 43,154 5,980
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%
Telenești 70,126 67,309
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%
Ungheni 110,545 97,805
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 government 3,383,332 2,564,850
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

edit

2015 census

edit

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.[26] 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".[26]

In 2020, in Transnistria, 34.2% of the kindergarten students came from families that spoke mainly Romanian, while 28% came from families where Ukrainian was the main language.[27][28]

2004 census

edit
Population Mold. Russians Ukrainians Gagauzes Bulg. Gyps. Jews Poles Belor. Germ. Armen. others,
non-decl.
Tiraspol 158,069  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 District 27,284 13,048

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 District 82,699 24,729

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 District 36,734 18,080

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 District 48,000 31,118

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 District 86,742 36,651

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 Transnistria 439,528 147,416

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) 97,027 24,374

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%

Proteagailovca 3,142 756–761

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%

Gîsca 4,841 819–824

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%

Cremenciug 1,094 465

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%

Roghi 715[29] ~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 localities 115,819 30,219

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 areas 555,347 177,635

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

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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

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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)

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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)

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Ethnic group \ First language Moldovan * Romanian Russian Ukrainian Gagauzian Bulgarian other language did non declare Total
Moldovans 1,949,318 475,126 128,372 9,170 799 1,113 951 2,564,849
Romanians 1,597 69,936 1,537 81 5 4 116 73,276
Russians 8,852 2,805 187,526 1,224 329 344 138 201,218
Ukrainians 17,491 4,158 141,206 118,699 427 294 131 282,406
Gagauzians 2,756 609 40,445 413 102,395 821 61 147,500
Bulgarians 4,652 1,046 23,259 188 673 35,808 36 65,662
other ethnic groups 3,828 1,133 18,610 339 262 181 9,856 192 34,401
did non declare 46 1 35 29 13,909 14,020
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)

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ethnic group own language Moldovan and Romanian Russian
Moldovans 94.52% 5%
Romanians 97.62% 2.1%
Russians 93.20% 5.79%
Ukrainians 42.03% 7.66% 50.00%
Gagauzians 69.42% 2.28% 27.42%
Bulgarians 54.53% 8.68% 35.42%
others up to 28.65% 14.42% 54.10%

Urban areas

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ethnic group own language Moldovan and Romanian Russian
Moldovans 86.71% 13.07%
Romanians 96.88% 2.85%
Russians 95.85% 3.82%
Ukrainians 13.06% 6.56% 80.19%
Gagauzians 40.10% 2.19% 57.23%
Bulgarians 36.81% 7.93% 54.45%
others up to 28.11% 8.35% 62.05%

Rural areas

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ethnic group own language Moldovan and Romanian Russian
Moldovans 98.24% 1.17%
Romanians 98.76% 0.94%
Russians 80.52% 15.25%
Ukrainians 72.99% 8.85% 17.74%
Gagauzians 86.16% 2.33% 10.40%
Bulgarians 68.95% 9.29% 19.95%
others up to 30.34% 33.39% 29.25%

Soviet era data

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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)

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

Religion Adherents % of total
Eastern Orthodox Christians 3,158,015 93.3%

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 b 5,094 0.15%
Roman Catholics 4,645 0.14%
Other religions 29,813 0.88%
Non-religious 33,207 0.98%
Atheists 12,724 0.38%

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.[citation needed] 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

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Moldova migration data, 2014-present

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Year Immigrants (Total) Emigrants (Total) Net Migration
2014 98,731 122,955 -24,224
2015 105,834 127,277 -21,443
2016 107,303 153,405 -46,102
2017 107,580 158,259 -50,679
2018 116,739 158,788 -42,049
2019 116,196 153,289 -37,093
2020 65,167 72,372 -7,205
2021 68,356 113,769 -45,413
2022 177,875 241,448 -63,573

Foreign citizens (according to the Office of Migration and Asylum):[30][31][32][33][34]

Country 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
  Ukraine 6,786 6,834 5,318 5,404
  Russia 5,742 5,953 4,068 3,905
  Turkey 943 1,292 942 1,248
   Romania 988 1,037 1,012 1,172
  Israel 2,200 1,929 1,412 1,107
  India 256 520 634 773
   Italy 501 535 449 474
  Azerbaijan 371 458 433 404
  United States 433 507 364 282
  Belarus 327 309 240 255
  Uzbekistan 164 327 172 227
  Armenia 211 229 209 218
  Kazakhstan 202 220 179 181
  Tajikistan 106 133
   Germany 131 123 101 121
  Syria 140 134 112 110
  Georgia 98 110 101 105
Others 3,271 3,313 1,310 1,551
Total 22,764 23,830 17,162 ~18,600 18,761 20,763

Secondary demographic indices

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Average age

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Average age of the population (years) on the fifth[35]
The year 1992 1995 growth 2000 growth 2005 growth 2010 growth 2015 growth
Years
32,0 32,4
+0.4
33,4
+1.0
34,9
+1.5
36,2
+1.3
37,5
+1.3

Life expectancy at birth

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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.[36] 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[37]
The year 1960 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016
Women:  69,8  72,1  68,8  71,9  69,7  71,2  71,7  73,4  75,5  76,1
Average time:  68,1  69,4  65,6  68,0  65,8  67,6  67,9  69,1  71,5  72,2
Men:  65,6  66,3  62,4  63,9  61,8  63,9  63,8  65,0  67,5  68,1

Population by sex

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Gender composition of the population, after decades[38]
Year 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2015
Men 46,76% 47,25% 47,64% 47,87% 48,08% 48,10%
Women 53,24% 52,75% 52,36% 52,13% 51,92% 51,90%
Men per 1.000 women 878 896 910 918 926 927

Infant mortality

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Children under 1 year old in 1,000 newborns:[39]

The Year 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2017
Children  35,0  30,9  19,0  21,2  18,3  12,4  11,7  9,7  9,4

Marriage

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

Urban and rural population

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Density of population per km2, depending on administrative unit
Year Urban population % Rural population %
2000 1.486.410 40,89 2.148.702 59,11
2001  1.485.210 40,94  2.142.602 59,06
2002  1.484.142 41,02  2.134.170 58,98
2003  1.477.927 40,97  2.129.508 59,03
2004  1.476.028 41,00  2.124.408 59,00
2005  1.469.828 40,94  2.120.108 59,06
2006  1.478.011 41,27  2.103.099 58,73
2007  1.476.110 41,32  2.096.593 58,68
2008  1.476.099 41,37  2.091.413 58,63
2009  1.476,681 41,44  2.087.014 58,56
2010  1.481.696 41,62  2.078.734 58,38
2011  1.485.766 41,74  2.073.775 58,26
2012  1.492.165 41,92  2.067.332 58,08
2013  1.502.996 42,25  2.054.638 57,75
2014  1.507.265 42,40  2.047.894 57,60
2015  1.511.051 42,53  2.042.005 57,47
2016  1.516.800 42,71  2.034.100 57,47

See also

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References

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Inline:

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  2. ^ 2014 Moldovan census
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  37. ^ BNS: Speran?a de via?a la na?tere dupa ani, medii ?i sexe[permanent dead link]
  38. ^ "Populația stabilă, la începutul anului după Ani, Medii și Sexe, 1970 – 2013".[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ "Mortalitatea infantilă pe sexe și medii, 1980–2012". Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  40. ^ Populația și procesele demografice. Căsătorii și Divorțuri Archived 8 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine statistica.md
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General:

  This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

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