Moldova is a small state in southeastern Europe. This is one of the most colorful European countries with rich cultural traditions. How many permanent residents are the population of Moldova today? And what percentage of them live in cities? You will find answers to these questions in our article.
The population of Moldova and its population
According to the latest demographic data, about 3.5 million people live in the Republic of Moldova. As you know, an autonomous entity exists within the country - the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, therefore the population of Moldova is indicated here without taking into account the population of the PMR.
All countries of the post-Soviet space are characterized by the same demographic problems: population decline, high mortality, and aging of the nation. The territory of Moldova, whose population is declining since the end of the 80s of the last century, is no exception.
Perhaps the main cause of the demographic crisis in this country is the difficult socio-economic situation. Against the background of negative natural growth, the population of Moldova is also actively declining due to powerful emigration flows abroad. In search of a better life, Moldavians are sent to the more prosperous countries of Europe - Italy, France, Portugal, Russia.
Key demographic indicators of the country: latest census
The 2010-2015 years in Moldova are not characterized by such a strong reduction in population compared to previous years.
In 2004 (in October) the first serious and comprehensive population census was conducted on the territory of the state. As a result, reliable data were obtained on how many residents live in Moldova, how many are abroad, what is the age, ethnic and gender structure of the country's population. It is worth noting that this census was not conducted on the left bank of the Dniester.
According to the census, the population of the country amounted to 3 million 383 thousand people. It was also found that about 8% of Moldovans are abroad (while almost 90% of them are labor migrants). In terms of absolute numbers, this number was 367 thousand people.
The gender structure of the population of the Republic is dominated by women (51.9%) - such data are provided to us by the census.
The year 2010 in Moldova was marked by a slight decrease in the rate of population decline. How it has changed over the past fifty years will be discussed in the next section.
The dynamics of the population of Moldova
How has the population of Moldova changed over the past 50 years?
Until the end of the 80s, the population of Moldova steadily increased. So, over a 30-year period (from 1959 to 1989), the population of the country has grown by more than one million people! As a percentage, population growth was almost 40%.
After 1989, the population of Moldova began to decline rapidly. So, if in 1989 the state had 3.65 million inhabitants, in 2014 there were already 3.56 million. More clearly, the dynamics of the population of Moldova can be seen on the following chart.
Population by region and general level of urbanization in the country
How is the urban and rural population of Moldova distributed? About 61% of Moldavians, according to the 2004 census, live in urban areas, and 39% in villages. Thus, Moldova is rightly considered the most "rural" country in Europe.
Which regions of the Republic of Moldova lead in terms of population?
The administrative-territorial structure of the country has 32 districts and 5 municipalities. By the number of inhabitants in the country, the following regions are leading: Hincesti (120 thousand), Kagul (119 thousand), Orhei (116 thousand), Ungheni (110 thousand).
Ethnic and linguistic composition of the population
According to the latest census, the national composition of the population of Moldova is as follows: about 76% of the population are Moldovans, and their number has grown by almost 6% since the country's independence. They are followed by Ukrainians (8.4%), Russians (5.9%), Gagauz (4.4%), Romanians (2.2%) and Bulgarians (about 2%). Gypsies in Moldova, there are only about 12 thousand (0.36%). Despite this, Moldova is very often mistakenly called the "gypsy" country of Europe.
The ethnic structure of the country's population clearly reflects the results of those processes that have taken place in Moldavian society over the past 15-20 years. Thus, the percentage of Slavic ethnic groups (Ukrainians, Russians) over the past 20 years has decreased, and the number of Romanians and Gagauzians, on the contrary, has increased.
One more interesting feature should be noted: Russians and Ukrainians in Moldova live mainly in large cities, but Moldovans, Bulgarians and Gagauz people live in rural areas.
99.6% of the 3.5 million people living in the Republic of Moldova are its citizens. Moreover, according to the 2004 census, over 5,000 residents of the country do not have citizenship at all.
The language situation in the country is extremely motley. So, during the 2004 census, respondents were asked two questions:
- What language do you consider your own?
- What language is the main language of your communication in everyday life?
So, about 78% of Moldovans called it their native language, Moldavian, 19% - Romanian, about 2.5% - Russian. At the same time, Moldavian is the main language of communication for only 59% of Moldovans. Another 16% of the country's inhabitants communicate in Romanian and Russian, about 4% - in Ukrainian, about 3% - in Gagauz. True, it should be noted that the differences between the Moldovan and Romanian languages are very insignificant, and this separation is more political in nature than linguistic.
Religion in Moldova
Moldova is officially the most faithful and most Orthodox country in Europe. Over 93% of the inhabitants of this country consider themselves Orthodox Christians. Next come the Baptists (about 1 percent), Adventists and Pentecostals (0.4% each).
There are not so many atheists in Moldova - only 76 thousand people (a little more than two percent of the total population of the country).
Finally...
The Republic of Moldova is a small state in the southwestern part of Europe. About 3.5 million people live within its borders, and more than 300 thousand Moldovans are abroad.
The urban and rural population of Moldova is distributed more or less evenly on its territory. So, about 61% of the country's inhabitants are city dwellers, and 39% live in rural areas. For Moldova, as well as for other countries of the post-Soviet space, the following demographic problems are typical: low birth rates, high mortality rates, aging of the nation (as a result of the first two factors), as well as a significant outflow of youth to other European countries.