Page last updated on June 20, 2014

Nationality:
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups:
Moldovan 75.8%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.9%, Gagauz 4.4%, Romanian 2.2%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1%, unspecified 0.4%
note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region (2004 est.)

Languages:
Moldovan 58.8% (official; virtually the same as the Romanian language), Romanian 16.4%, Russian 16%, Ukrainian 3.8%, Gagauz 3.1% (a Turkish language), Bulgarian 1.1%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.4%
note: percentages represent lanugage usually spoken (2004 est.)

Religions:
Orthodox 93.3%, Baptist 1%, other Christian 1.2%, other 0.9%, atheist 0.4%, none 1%, unspecified 2.2% (2004 est.)

Population:
3,583,288 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.7% (male 326,968/female 306,948)
15-24 years: 14.2% (male 262,559/female 246,283)
25-54 years: 43.9% (male 785,392/female 786,421)
55-64 years: 13.1% (male 214,899/female 255,046)
65 years and over: 10.7% (male 151,629/female 247,143) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 39.3 %
youth dependency ratio: 23.2 %
elderly dependency ratio: 16.1 %
potential support ratio: 6.2 (2014 est.)

Median age:
total: 35.7 years
male: 33.9 years
female: 37.7 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate:
-1.02% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 231
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
12.21 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
12.6 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-9.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 47.7% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:
CHISINAU (capital) 677,000 (2011)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
23.7 (2011 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
41 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.93 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 122
male: 14.82 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.12 years
country comparison to the world: 152
male: 66.25 years
female: 74.24 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.56 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
67.8% (2005)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
11.4% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 11
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
3.64 physicians/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
6.2 beds/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 99.5% of population
rural: 93.7% of population
total: 96.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 6.3% of population
total: 3.5% of population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 89.2% of population
rural: 84.4% of population
total: 86.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 10.8% of population
rural: 15.6% of population
total: 13.3% of population (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
18,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,300 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
21.2% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 91
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
3.2% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
8.4% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 10
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99.5%
female: 98.5% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2012)

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 72,364
percentage: 16 % (2009 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 13.1%
country comparison to the world: 95
male: 12.8%
female: 13.4% (2012)