Composition and population of Moldova. Population of Moldova by years

Moldova is a small country in south-eastern Europe. It is one of the most colorful European countries with the richest cultural traditions. How many permanent residents is the population of Moldova today? And what percentage of them live in cities? The answers to these questions can be found 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, within the country there is an autonomous entity - the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika, therefore the population of Moldova is indicated without taking into account the population of Transnistria.

For all post-Soviet countries, the same demographic problems are typical : population decline, high mortality, aging of the nation. The territory of Moldova, whose population is declining, is not an exception since the end of the 1980s.

Perhaps the main reason for the demographic crisis in this country is the difficult social and economic situation. Against the backdrop of negative natural growth, the Moldovan population is also actively decreasing due to powerful emigration flows abroad. Moldovans in search of a better life are sent to the more prosperous countries of Europe - to Italy, France, Portugal, Russia.

The main demographic indicators of the country: the last census of the population

The years 2010-2015 in Moldova are characterized by less severe population decline than in 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 inhabitants live in Moldova, how many are abroad, what is the age, ethnic and sexual structure of the country's population. It should be noted that this census was not conducted on the left bank of the Dniester.

According to the results of the census, the country's population was 3 million 383 thousand people. It was also found that about 8% of Moldovans are abroad (almost 90% of them are labor migrants). In terms of absolute figures, this number was 367 thousand people.

In the sexual structure of the population of the Republic, women predominate (51.9%) - this is the data that the census of population provides to us .

2010 in Moldova was marked by a slight decrease in the rate of population decline. About how it has changed in the past fifty years, we will discuss the next section.

Population dynamics of Moldova

How has the population of Moldova changed over the past 50 years?

Up until the end of the 1980s, the population of Moldova steadily increased. Thus, over a 30-year period (from 1959 to 1989), the number of residents increased by more than one million people! In percentage terms, the population growth was almost 40%.

After 1989, the population of Moldova began to decline rapidly. So, if in 1989 there were 3.65 million people in the state, in 2014 there were 3.56 million of them. More clearly, the dynamics of the population of Moldova can be traced on the following schedule.

The population by districts and the overall level of urbanization in the country

How is the urban and rural population of Moldova distributed? About 61% of Moldovans, according to the 2004 census, live in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas. Thus, Moldova is rightly considered the most "rural" country in Europe.

Which areas of the Republic of Moldova are leading in terms of population?

The administrative-territorial structure of the country includes 32 districts and 5 municipalities. By the number of inhabitants in the country the following areas are leading: Hincesti (120 thousand), Cahul (119 thousand), Orhei (116 thousand), Ungheni (110 thousand).

Ethnic and linguistic composition of the population

The national composition of the Moldovan population, according to the latest census, is as follows: about 76% of the population are Moldovans, and their number has grown by almost 6% during the country's independence. Further, followed by Ukrainians (8.4%), Russians (5.9%), Gagauzians (4.4%), Romanians (2.2%) and Bulgarians (about 2%). Roma in Moldova there are only about 12 thousand (0.36%). Despite this, Moldova is often mistakenly called the "gypsy" country of Europe.

The ethnic structure of the country's population visually reflects the results of those processes that took place in the Moldovan society over the past 15-20 years. Thus, the percentage of Slavic ethnic groups (Ukrainians, Russians) has decreased over the past 20 years, while the number of Romanians and Gagauzes, on the contrary, has increased.

It should be noted one more interesting feature: Russians and Ukrainians in Moldova live mainly in large cities, but Moldovans, Bulgarians and Gagauzians live in rural areas.

99.6% of the 3.5 million people living on the territory of the Republic of Moldova are its citizens. At the same time, more than 5,000 citizens of the country, according to the 2004 census, do not have citizenship at all.

The language situation in the country is extremely variegated. So, during the 2004 population census, respondents were asked two questions:

1. What language do you consider to be your native language?
2. What language is the main language of your communication in everyday life?

Thus, about 78% of the Moldovans called native the Moldovan language for themselves, 19% - Romanian, about 2.5% - Russian. At the same time, Moldovan is the main language of communication for only 59% of Moldovans. Another 16% of the country's residents 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 division 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 Baptists (about 1 percent), Adventists and Pentecostals (0.4 percent each).

Atheists in Moldova are not so many - only 76 thousand people (this is just over 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 in its territory, more than 300 thousand Moldovans are abroad.

The urban and rural population of Moldova is distributed over its territory more or less evenly. Thus, about 61% of the country's residents are urban dwellers, and 39% live in rural areas. For Moldova, as for other post-Soviet countries, the following demographic problems are typical: low birthrates, high death rates, aging of the nation (as a result of the first two factors), and a significant outflow of young people to other European states.