Demographics of 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
Population	2,423,287[1] (01.01.2024, excluding Transnistria)
Density	79.8 (excluding Transnistria) (2024)
Growth rate	−2.8 (2024)
Birth rate	9.8 births/1,000 population (2023)
Death rate	13.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023)
Life expectancy	71.9 years (2023)
• male	67.5 years (2023)
• female	76.4 years (2023)
Fertility rate	1.61 children born/woman (2023)
Infant mortality rate	13.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023)
Net migration rate	-24.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022)
Age structure
0–14 years	16.4% (male 301,150/female 284,400)
15–64 years	73.6% (male 1,277,900/female 1,341,650)
65 and over	10.0% (male 133,060/female 222,270)
Sex ratio
Total	0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
At birth	1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years	0.94 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.59 male(s)/female
Nationality
Major ethnic	Indigenous population self-identified as Moldovans or Romanians (85.1%) (2024)
Minor ethnic	Ukrainians (4.9%), Gagauz (4.2%), Russians (3.2%), Bulgarians (1.6%), Romanis (0,4%), other groups (0.5%) (2024)
Language
Official	Romanian
Spoken	Romanian and other minority languages

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.^[2]

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.^[3] 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;[4] UN[5],[6]

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.^[7]

By district (2004 census)

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.)

^[8]

	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

Bessarabia Governorate (1900–1914)

^[9]

	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

^[10][11]

	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 central government control

• Source: National Bureau of Statistics^[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 (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^[13] 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.).^[14]

Total fertility rates by regions

^[15]

2023

Regions	TFR
Central Development Region	1.90
Southern Development Region	1.78
Northern Development Region	1.62
Moldova	1.61

Total fertility rate by local authority district

2023

Districts	TFR
Cantemir	2.16
Stefan-Voda	2.15
Rezina	2.08
Nisporeni	2.05
Telenesti	2.02
Orhei	2.01
Hincesti	1.99
Dubasari	1.98
Ungheni	1.94
Falesti	1.91
Criuleni	1.90
Calarasi	1.88
Soldanesti	1.88
Singerei	1.87
Straseni	1.84
Leova	1.77
Riscani	1.76
Cimislia	1.73
Ialoveni	1.72
Cahul	1.70
Causeni	1.69
Drochia	1.67
Floresti	1.66
Glodeni	1.62
Soroca	1.62
Donduseni	1.61
Anenii Noi	1.61
Edinet	1.58
Gagauzia	1.56
Basarabeasca	1.52
Taraclia	1.50
Ocnita	1.46
Bălți	1.41
Briceni	1.40
Chisinau	1.25

Current vital statistics

^[16][17]

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January – September 2023	15,682	25,354	-9,672
January – September 2024	15,518	25,253	-9,735
Difference	-164 (-1.05%)	-101 (-0.4%)	-63

Structure of the population

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 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	1 247 309	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

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021) (Provisional Estimates):^[18]

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	5,703	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

^[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)

^[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 and census numbers

For the national identity and name of the native language of the main ethnic group in Moldova, see Controversy over ethnic and linguistic identity in Moldova.

For minorities of Moldova, see Ukrainians in Moldova, Russians in Moldova, Gagauz people in Moldova, Bulgarians in Moldova, Jews in Moldova, Poles in Moldova, and Greeks in Moldova.

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.^[7]

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. Of the total population that declared its ethnicity, in the 2024 census, people who declared themselves Moldovan and Romanian constituted 77.2% and 7.9%, respectively. Among the ethnic minorities, 4.9% declared themselves Ukrainian, 4.2% Gagauz, 3.2% Russian, 1.6% Bulgarian, 0.4% Roma/Gypsy and 0.5% other ethnicities.^[26]

Of the total population that declared its ethnicity, in the 2024 census, people who declared themselves Moldovan and Romanian constituted 77.2% and 7.9%, respectively. Among the ethnic minorities, 4.9% declared themselves Ukrainian, 4.2% Gagauz, 3.2% Russian, 1.6% Bulgarian, 0.4% Roma/Gypsy and 0.5% other ethnicities. Of the total urban population that declared its ethnicity in 2024, people who declared themselves Moldovan and Romanian constituted 70.5% and 9.7% respectively. Among the ethnic minorities, 6.1% declared themselves Ukrainian, 5.9% Russian, 4.1% Gagauz, 2.1% Bulgarian, 0.6% Roma/Gypsy and 1% other ethnicities. In Chișinău, the proportion was 72.9% Moldovans, 13.1% Romanians, 5.9% Russians, 5.1% Ukrainians, 0.8% Gagauz, 0.9% Bulgarians, 0.1% Roma/Gypsies and 1.2% other ethnicities.^[26]

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 1959–2024

Ethnic group	census 19591		census 19702		census 19793		census 19894		census 20045		census 20145		census 20246
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Moldovans*	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	1,792,2006	77.2
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	183,5006	7.9
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	114,4006	4.9
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	98,2006	4.2
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	75,3006	3.2
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	37,0006	1.6
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	8,9006	0.4
Jews	95,104	3.3	98,062	2.7	80,124	2.0	65,799	1.5	4,867	0.1	1,601	<0.1
Poles	4,783	0.2	4,899	0.1	4,961	0.1	4,739	0.1	4,174	0.1	1,404	<0.1
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	12,5006	0.5
Total	2,884,477		3,568,873		3,949,756		4,335,360		3,938,679		2,998,235		2,401,200
1 Source: Archived 16 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 2 Source: Archived 3 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine. 3 Source: Archived 24 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 4 Source: Archived 16 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 5 Source: Archived 30 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Archived 7 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine 5:2004 combined censuses of the government-controlled area and Transnistria. 6 Source: 6:2014 and 2024 censuses were conducted only in government-controlled area. 6: Data presented is based on the enumerated usually resident population.* 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

See also: Demographics of Transnistria and Demographic history of Transnistria

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.^[27] By ethnic composition, the population of Transnistria was distributed as follows:

• Russians: 29.1%
• Moldovans: 28.6%
• Ukrainians: 22.9%
• Bulgarians: 2.4%
• Gagauz: 1.1%
• Belarusians: 0.5%
• Transnistrians: 0.2%
• Others: 1.4%

Around 14% did not declare any ethnicity. For the first time, the population had the option to identify as "Transnistrian".^[27]

In 2020, in Transnistria, 34.2% of the kindergarten students were ethnic Moldovans, while 28% were ethnic Ukrainians.^[28][29]

2004 census

	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[30]	~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

Main article: Languages of Moldova

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.^[7] Of the total population that declared its mother tongue (limba maternă; distinct from the usually spoken language) in the 2024 census, 49.2% declared "Moldovan" and 31.3% declared Romanian, with both adding up to 80.5%. The share of the population that declared Romanian as its mother tongue increased by 8.1% compared to the 2014 census (23.2%), and the share that declared "Moldovan" decreased by 7.8% (56.9% in the 2014 census). Among other languages declared as mother tongues, Russian stood out with 11.1% of the population, followed by Gagauz with 3.8%, Ukrainian with 2.9%, Bulgarian with 1.2%, Romani/Gypsy with 0.3% and other languages with 0.2%.^[26]

First language in daily use (2014 and 2024 censuses)

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.^[7] By contrast, 46.0% declared their usually spoken language to be Moldovan and 33.2% declared it to be Romanian in 2024.^[26] In the 2024 census, the percentage of speakers of Russian as their usually spoken language was 15.3%, with other minority languages' share being lower: 2.3% for Gagauz, 2% for Ukrainian, 0.8% for Bulgarian, 0.3% for Romani and 0.2% for other languages.^[31]

First language in daily use (2004 census)

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)

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

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

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

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)

Main article: Religion in Moldova

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:

• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Molokans (a Russian Orthodox sect).
• Islam

Immigration

Moldova migration data, 2014-present

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):^{[32][33][34][35][36]}

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

Average age

Average age of the population (years) on the fifth^[37]

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

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.^[38] 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^[39]

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

Gender composition of the population, after decades^[40]

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

Children under 1 year old in 1,000 newborns:^[41]

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

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

• References:^[42]

Urban and rural population

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

• References:^[43][44]

See also

• Emigration from Moldova
• Ageing of Europe
• Poles in Moldova
• Poles in Transnistria