Introduction
Background
A large portion of present day Moldovan territory became a province of the Russian Empire in 1812 and then unified with Romania in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. This territory was then incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Moldova has been independent from the Soviet Union since 1991.
Geography
Area
total: 33,851 sq km
land: 32,891 sq km
water: 960 sq km
Climate
moderate winters, warm summers
Natural resources
lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, limestone, arable land
People and Society
Population
3,250,532 (2023 est.)
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
Moldovan/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; as of March 2023, Romanian replaced Moldovan as the name of Moldova's official language
Religions
Orthodox 90.1%, other Christian 2.6%, other 0.1%, agnostic <0.1%, atheist 0.2%, unspecified 6.9% (2014 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.58% (2023 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Chisinau in Romanian (Kishinev in Russian)
Executive branch
chief of state: President Maia SANDU (since 24 December 2020)
head of government: Prime Minister Dorin RECEAN (since 16 February 2023)
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Parliament (101 seats; 51 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 50 members directly elected in a single, nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; all members serve 4-year terms
Economy
Economic overview
upper middle-income Eastern European economy; sustained growth reversed by COVID-19; significant remittances; Russian energy and regional dependence; agricultural exporter; declining workforce due to emigration and low fertility
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$36.637 billion (2021 est.)
$32.153 billion (2020 est.)
$34.715 billion (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$14,000 (2021 est.)
$12,200 (2020 est.)
$13,000 (2019 est.)
Agricultural products
maize, wheat, sunflower seeds, grapes, apples, sugar beets, milk, potatoes, barley, plums/sloes
Industries
sugar processing, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles
Remittances
15.24% of GDP (2021 est.)
15.82% of GDP (2020 est.)
15.95% of GDP (2019 est.)
Exports
$4.197 billion (2021 est.)
$3.222 billion (2020 est.)
$3.662 billion (2019 est.)
Exports - partners
Romania 27%, Russia 9%, Italy 9%, Germany 9%, Turkey 6%, Poland 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
insulated wiring, wheat, sunflower seeds, rolled iron, wine, corn, seats (2021)
Imports
$7.915 billion (2021 est.)
$5.918 billion (2020 est.)
$6.608 billion (2019 est.)
Imports - partners
Romania 20%, Russia 10%, Ukraine 9%, Germany 8%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 6% (2019)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cars, insulated wiring, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment (2019)
Exchange rates
Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
17.68 (2021 est.)
17.322 (2020 est.)
17.573 (2019 est.)
16.802 (2018 est.)
18.499 (2017 est.)
Page last updated: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
