* As of 6/9/2025
1 birth
Every 16.9 minutes
1 death
Every 12.5 minutes
1 emigrant
Every 17.8 minutes
1 person
Every 13.0 minutes
The 2004 Moldovan census found the population is comprised of:
The 2004 census in Transnistria (areas controlled by breakaway authorities like Transnistria and Bender/Tighina) found Moldovans make up 32% of the region’s population, followed by Ukrainians (29%) and Russians (30%).
There is a controversy about whether Romanians and Moldovans are the same ethnic group, and allegations that ethnic numbers were rigged. 19% of respondents who said they were Moldovans said Romanian was their native language.
The percentage of Russians and Ukrainians has decreased since the last Soviet census in 1989, mostly due to emigration. Most Russians live in urban areas like Chisinau and Tiraspol. The Gagauz are the fourth-largest ethnic group and live mostly south of Moldova in the autonomous region of Gagauzia.
Officially the country of Moldova has no state religion, yet the population is very predominantly Orthodox Christian with over 90% of the population practicing the faith. Within the Orthodox church, there are two main branches, which often experience conflict: the Russian Metropolis of Chişinău and Moldova and the Romanian Metropolis of Bessarabia. Aside from Christian Orthodox, small numbers of people living in Moldova also practice Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam. Roughly 7% of the population claim to have no religious affiliation.
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe and their economy is not very strong. Agriculture is the most prominent industry, accounting for 40% of the national GDP, due to their proximity to the Black Sea and the extremely fertile soil that results. Primary exports include wheat, corn, barley, tobacco, sugar, beets, and soybeans. Moldova’s inability to flourish financially has largely been linked to their dependence on the Soviet Union for energy and raw materials, but their situation has been improving somewhat in the years since their independence.
Russia gained control over the land that is now eastern Moldova in the early 1800s, the Ottoman Empire controlled the western half of the country. The Ottoman half of the country gained independence from Romania in 1878, but the Soviets maintained their hold over the rest. The whole area was combined and under Soviet rule by 1940, becoming the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
They finally declared independence in 1991, which led to fighting and hundreds of deaths. They were granted autonomy in 1997, but Russian was made the official language. Disputes with Russia continued into the 21st century. Moldova was finally admitted to the European Nation as a sovereign nation in 2014.
