Statistical information Moldova 1995

Moldova in the World
top of pageBackground: Formerly ruled by Romania Moldova became part of the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991 Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru (Dnister) River supporting the Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians) who have proclaimed a 'Transnistria' republic.
top of pageLocation: Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania
Geographic coordinatesMap reference:
Commonwealth of Independent States - European StatesAreaTotal area total: 33,700 km²
Land: 33,700 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Hawaii
Land boundaries: total 1,389 km, Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
Climate: moderate winters, warm summers
Terrain: rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
ElevationNatural resources: lignite, phosphorites, gypsum
Land useArable land: 50%
Permanent crops: 13%
Meadows and pastures: 9%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 28%
Irrigated land: 2,920 km² (1990)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: landlocked
top of pagePopulation: 4,489,657 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.36% (1995 est.)
NationalityNoun: Moldovan(s)
Adjective: Moldovan
Ethnic groups: Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 figures)
Note: internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the Dniester region and Gagauz Turks in the south
Languages: Moldovan (official; virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about 1,000 members) (1991)
Note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 27% (female 588,155; male 609,372)
15-64 years: 64% (female 1,487,170; male 1,386,293)
65 years and over: 9% (female 258,958; male 159,709) (July 1995 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.36% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 15.93 births/1000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 10.05 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.25 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods
Current issues natural hazards: NA
Current issues international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 29.8 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 68.22 years
Male: 64.81 years
Female: 71.8 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989)
Total population: 96%
Male: 99%
Female: 94%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Moldova
Conventional short form: Moldova
Local long form: Republica Moldova
Local short form: none
Former: Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova; Moldavia
Government type: republic
Capital: Chisinau
Administrative divisions: previously divided into 40 rayons; new districts possible under new constitution in 1994
Dependent areasIndependence: 27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 August 1991
Constitution: new constitution adopted NA July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and OSCE documents
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Mircea SNEGUR (since 3 September 1990); election last held 8 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Mircea SNEGUR ran unopposed and won 98.17% of vote; note - President SNEGUR was named executive president by the Supreme Soviet on 3 September 1990 and was confirmed by popular election on 8 December 1991
Head of government: Prime Minister Andrei SANGHELI (since 1 July 1992; reappointed 5 April 1994 after elections for new legislature); First Deputy Prime Minister Ion GUTU (since NA)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament: elections last held 27 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent by party NA; seats - (104 total) Agrarian-Democratic Party 56, Socialist/Yedinstvo Bloc 28, Peasants and Intellectual Bloc 11, Christian Democratic Popular Front 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: BSEC, CE (guest), CIS, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae TAU
In the us chancery: Suites 329, 333, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20,005
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 783-3,012
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 783-3,342
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mary C. PENDLETON
From the us embassy: Strada Alexei Mateevich #103, Chisinau
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [373] (2) 23-37-72
From the us FAX: [373] (2) 23-30-44
Flag description
: same color scheme as Romania - 3 equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, Moldova's economy is primarily based on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import all of its supplies of oil, coal, and natural gas, and energy shortages have contributed to sharp production declines since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Moldovan government is making steady progress on an ambitious economic reform agenda, and the IMF has called Moldova a model for the region. As part of its reform efforts, Chisinau has introduced a stable currency, freed all prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises and backed their steady privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. Chisinau appears strongly committed to continuing these reforms in 1995. Meanwhile, privatization of medium and large enterprises got underway in mid-1994 and is expected to pick up speed in 1995. To improve its precarious energy situation, Chisinau reached an agreement with Moscow in December 1994 on gas deliveries for 1995. Gazprom, Russia's national gas company, has agreed to reduce prices for natural gas deliveries to Moldova from the world market price of $80/thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $58/tcm in return for part ownership of the Moldovan pipeline system.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -30% (1994 est.)
Real gdp per capita: $2,670 (1994 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for about 40% of GDP; Moldova's principal economic activity; products are vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, meat, milk, tobacco
Industries: key products are canned food, agricultural machinery, foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery, refined sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: -30% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 2.03 million (January 1994)
By occupation agriculture: 34.4%
By occupation industry: 20.1%
By occupation other: 45.5% (1985figures)
Unemployment rate: 1% (includes only officially registered unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Note: budget deficit for 1993 approximately 6% of GDP
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $144 million to outside the FSU countries (1994; over 70% of exports go to FSU countries
Commodoties: foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles and footwear, machinery, chemicals (1991)
Partners: Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania, Germany
Imports: $174 million from outside the FSU countries (1994; over 70% of imports are from FSU countries
Commodoties: oil, gas, coal, steel, machinery, foodstuffs, automobiles, and other consumer durables
Partners: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Romania, Germany
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $300 million (as of 11 December 1994)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: lei per US$1 - 4.277 (22 December 1994)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 3,000,000 kW
Production: 8.2 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 1,830 kWh (1994)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone system: 577,000 telephones; 134 telephones/1000 persons; telecommunication system not well developed; 215,000 unsatisfied requests for telephone service (1991)
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: international connections to the other former Soviet republics by land line and microwave radio relay through Ukraine, and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; 1 EUTELSAT and 1 INTELSAT earth station
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expenditures: $NA, 2% of GDP (1994)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 26
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 3
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2438 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 8
HeliportsPipelines: natural gas 310 km (1992)
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalsMoldova - Transnational issues 1995
top of pageDisputes international: certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine - including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe