Map of Moldova | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Part of Romania during the interwar period Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991 Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting the breakaway region of Transnistria composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians) but with a sizable ethnic Moldovan minority. Years of Communist Party rule post-independence ultimately ended with election-related violent protests and a rerun of parliamentary elections in 2009. Since then a series of pro-European ruling coalitions have governed Moldova. As a result of the country's most recent legislative election in November 2014 the three pro-European parties that entered Parliament won a total of 55 of the body's 101 seats. Infighting among coalition members led to prolonged legislative gridlock and political instability as well as the collapse of two governments all ruled by pro-European coalitions centered around the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) and the Democratic Party (PDM). A political impasse ended in January 2016 when a new parliamentary majority led by PDM joined by defectors from the Communists and PLDM supported Pavel FILIP as prime minister. Moldova remains Europe's poorest economy; the country signed and ratified an Association Agreement with the EU in 2014 which fully entered into force in July 2016 after ratification by all EU member states.


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Location: Eastern Europe northeast of Romania

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 29 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 33,851 km²
Land: 32,891 km²
Water: 960 km²
Rank: 140
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 1885 km
Border countries: (2) Romania 683 km; Ukraine 1202 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: moderate winters warm summers

Terrain: rolling steppe gradual slope south to Black Sea

Elevation
Mean elevation: 139 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dniester 2 m: highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

Natural resources: lignite phosphorites gypsum limestone arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 74.9%
Forest: 11.9%
Other: 13.2%

Irrigated land: 2,283 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: landslides

Geography
Note: landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand gravel gypsum and limestone


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Population
Distribution: pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau followed by Tiraspol and Balti: 3,474,121 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 131
Growth rate: -1.05% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 229
Below poverty line: 20.8% (2013 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Moldovan
Adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups: Moldovan 75.1% Romanian 7% Ukrainian 6.6% Gagauz 4.6% Russian 4.1% Bulgarian 1.9% other 0.8% (2014 est.)

Languages: Romanian 80.2% (official) (56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan which is virtually the same as Romanian; 23.5% identify Romanian as their mother tongue) Russian 9.7% Gagauz 4.2% (a Turkish language) Ukrainian 3.9% Bulgarian 1.5% Romani 0.3% other 0.2% (2014 est.)
Note: data represent mother tongue

Religions: Orthodox 90.1% other Christian 2.6% other 0.1% agnostic .1% atheist 0.2% unspecified 6.9% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.18%
15-24 years: 12.32%
25-54 years: 43.4%
55-64 years: 13.46%
65 years and over: 12.64% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 34.5
Youth dependency ratio: 21.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.4
Potential support ratio: 7.5

Median age
Total: 36.7 years
Male: 34.9 years
Female: 38.6 years
Rank: 71

Population growth rate: -1.05% (2017 est.)
Rank: 229

Birth rate: 11.5 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 171

Death rate: 12.6 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 18

Net migration rate: -9.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 212

Population distribution: pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau followed by Tiraspol and Balti

Urbanization
Urban population: 45.2% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.36% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: CHISINAU (capital) 725,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: heavy use of agricultural chemicals including banned pesticides such as DDT has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male/female
55-64 years: 0.85 male/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 24 years (2014 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 12 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.1 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 123

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71 years
Male: 67.1 years
Female: 75.1 years
Rank: 155

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 187

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 59.5% (2012)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.54 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 6.2 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 56
People living with hivaids: 15,000 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 83
Deaths: 500 (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 18.9% (2016)
Rank: 115

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.2% (2012)
Rank: 111

Education expenditures: 7.5% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 10

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.4%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.1%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 12 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Moldova
Conventional short form: Moldova
Local long form: Republica Moldova
Local short form: Moldova
Former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: named for the Moldova River in neighboring eastern Romania

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Chisinau in Romanian
Note: pronounced KEE-shee-now
Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 28 51 E
Time difference: UTC+2
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 32 raions (raioane singular - raion) 3 municipalities (municipii singular - municipiul) 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma) and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)
Raions: Anenii Noi Basarabeasca Briceni Cahul Cantemir Calarasi Causeni Cimislia Criuleni Donduseni Drochia Dubasari Edinet Falesti Floresti Glodeni Hincesti Ialoveni Leova Nisporeni Ocnita Orhei Rezina Riscani Singerei Soldanesti Soroca Stefan Voda Straseni Taraclia Telenesti Ungheni
Municipalities: Balti Bender Chisinau
Autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia
Territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 27 August (1991)

Constitution
History: previous 1978; latest adopted 29 July 1994 effective 27 August 1994
Amendments: proposed by voter petition by one-third of Parliament members or by the government; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament within one year of initial proposal; revisions to constitutional articles on sovereignty independence and neutrality require majority vote by referendum; articles on fundamental rights and freedoms cannot be amended; amended several times last in 2010; note – in early 2016 the Moldovan Constitutional Court decision returned the country to direct presidential elections reversing a 2000 constitutional amendment that allowed Parliament to select the president (2016)

Legal system: civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Moldova
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Igor DODON
Head of government: Prime Minister Pavel FILIP
Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister-designate nominated by the president approved through a vote of confidence in Parliament
Electionsappointments: president directly elected for a 4-year term ; election last held on 13 November 2016 (next to be held in fall 2020); prime minister designated by the president upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence for his/her proposed work program from the Parliament
Election results: Igor DODON elected president; percent of vote - Igor DODON 52.2% Maia SANDU (PAS) 47.8%; Pavel FILIP (PDM) designated prime minister; Parliament vote - 57 of 101

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament
Elections: last held on 30 November 2014
Election results: percent of vote by party - PSRM 20.5% PLDM 20.2% PCRM 17.5% PDM 15.8% PL 9.7% other 16.3%; seats by party - PSRM 25 PLDM 23 PCRM 21 PDM 19 PL 13

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Justice ; Constitutional Court (consists of the court president and 6 judges); note - the Constitutional Court is autonomous to the other branches of government; the Court interprets the Constitution and reviews the constitutionality of parliamentary laws and decisions decrees of the president and acts of the government
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Justice judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistracy ; all judges serve 4-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed 2 each by Parliament the Moldovan president and the Higher Council of Magistracy; court president elected by other court judges for a 3-year term; other judges appointed for 6-year terms
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Court of Business Audit; municipal courts

Political parties and leaders: Socialist People’s Party of Moldova or PPSM [Victor STEPANIUC]

International organization participation: BSEC CD CE CEI CIS EAEC (observer) EAPC EBRD FAO GCTU GUAM IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA OIF OPCW OSCE PFP SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNMIL UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Aureliu CIOCOI
In the us chancery: 2,101 S Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 667-1130
In the us FAX: [1] 667-1204
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James D. PETTIT
From the us embassy: 103 Mateevici Street Chisinau MD-2009
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [373] 40-8,300
From the us FAX: [373] 23-3,044

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of Prussian blue (hoist side) chrome yellow and vermilion red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of dark gold (brown) 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 aurochs head star rose and crescent all in black-outlined yellow; based on the color scheme of the flag of Romania - with which Moldova shares a history and culture - but Moldova's blue band is lighter; the reverse of the flag displays a mirrored image of the coat of arms
Note: one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Paraguay and Saudi Arabia

National symbols: aurochs (a type of wild cattle); national colors: blue yellow red

National anthem
Name: 'Limba noastra'
Lyrics and music: Alexei MATEEVICI/Alexandru CRISTEA
Note: adopted 1994

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 148

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 63

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 169

Gross national saving:
Rank: 108

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 86.7%
Government consumption: 19%
Investment in fixed capital: 22.3%
Investment in inventories: 0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 43.6%
Imports of goods and services: -71.8%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 14.3%
Industry: 20.9%
Services: 64.8%

Agriculture products: vegetables fruits grapes grain sugar beets sunflower seeds tobacco; beef milk; wine

Industries: sugar processing vegetable oil food processing agricultural machinery; foundry equipment refrigerators and freezers washing machines; hosiery shoes textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2016 est.)
Rank: 111

Labor force: 1.273 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 136
By occupation agriculture: 33.7%
By occupation industry: 12.1%
By occupation services: 54.2%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 52

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 20.8% (2013 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.2%
Highest 10: 22.1%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 138

Budget
Revenues: $2.306 billion
Expenditures: $2.431 billion
Note: National Public Budget
Surplus or deficit: -1.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 84

Taxes and other revenues: 34.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 61

Public debt:
Rank: 122

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 182

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the basic rate on short-term operations
Rank: 36

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 48

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 142

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 139

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 147

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 122

Current account balance:
Rank: 90

Exports:
Rank: 146
Commodities: foodstuffs textiles machinery
Partners: Romania 25.5% Russia 11.6% Italy 9.9% Germany 6.3% UK 5.7% Belarus 5.2% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 133
Commodities: mineral products and fuel machinery and equipment chemicals textiles
Partners: Romania 13.7% Russia 13.3% China 9.8% Ukraine 9.5% Germany 7.9% Italy 7% Turkey 6.8% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 115

Debt external:
Rank: 127

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 108

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 99

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 5.741 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 117
Consumption: 4.611 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 125
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 165
Imports: 18 million kWh (2015 est.)
Imports rank: 110
Installed generating capacity: 483,000 kW
Installed generating capacity note: excludes Transnistria
Installed generating capacity rank: 147
Generation sources fossil fuels: 85.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 75
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 135
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 13.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 112
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 135

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 165
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 158
Crude oil imports: 20 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 86
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 162

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 262 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products production rank: 109
Products consumption: 15,570 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 149
Products exports: 261 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports rank: 117
Products imports: 15,560 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products imports rank: 130

Natural gas
Production: 10 million m³ (2015 est.)
Production rank: 94
Consumption: 3.48 billion m³
Consumption note: excludes breakaway Transnistria
Consumption rank: 74
Exports: 0 m³ (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 143
Imports: 2.72 billion m³
Imports note: excludes breakaway Transnistria
Imports rank: 48
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (42,370 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 166

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.976 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 127

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,171,287
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33
Fixed lines rank: 69
Mobile cellular total: 3,788,490
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108
Mobile cellular rank: 127

Telephone system
General assessment: the mobile market has extended the reach of service to outside the cities and across most of the country
Domestic: competition among mobile telephone providers has spurred subscriptions; little interest in expanding fixed-line service; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 105 per 100 persons
International: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - at least 3 (2016)

Broadcast media: state-owned national radio-TV broadcaster operates 1 TV and 1 radio station; a total of nearly 70 terrestrial TV channels and some 50 radio stations are in operation; Russian and Romanian channels also are available (2017)

Internet
Country code: .md
Users total: 2,492,444
Users percent of population: 71.0%
Users rank: 106

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 128

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; male registration required at age 16; 1-year service obligation (2016)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,005,942
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 489,630 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ER (2016)

Airports: 7 (2013)
Rank: 169
With paved runways total: 5
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 unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 1916 km (2014)

Railways
Total: 1171 km
Broad gauge: 1157 km 1.520-m gauge
Standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge
Rank: 87

Roadways
Total: 9,352 km
Paved: 8,835 km
Unpaved: 517 km
Rank: 138

Waterways: 558 km (in public use on Danube Dniester and Prut Rivers) (2011)
Rank: 82

Merchant marine
Total: 121
By type: bulk carrier 7 cargo 88 carrier 1 chemical tanker 3 passenger/cargo 7 petroleum tanker 2 refrigerated cargo 1 roll on/roll off 11 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 63 (2010)
Rank: 45

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region which remains under the auspices of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe-mandated peacekeeping mission comprised of Moldovan Transnistrian Russian and Ukrainian troops

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 6,779 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015)
Stateless persons: 4,776

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia Western Europe and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity