The National Bureau of Statistics informs that, according to the final results of the 2024 Population and Housing Census (PHC), the number of persons with usual residence2 on the census reference date (April 8, 2024) was 2,409,200.
According to the final results of the 2024 RPL, compared to the 2014 census:
- The number of populations with usual residence (URP) decreased by approximately 13.6%;
- The share of the urban population was 46.4%, up 7.9 percentage points (p.p.) compared to the 2014 PHC (38.5%);
- 29.9% of the population lived in Chișinău municipality, compared to 22.1% in the 2014 census, or an increase of 7.8 percentage points.
Administrative-territorial organization of the Republic of Moldova at the time of the census
The 2024 census was conducted between April 8 and July 7, 2024, in 35 of the country's 37 second-level administrative-territorial units, enumerating the population of 1,525 localities out of a total of 1,682 localities, including 55 urban localities (towns/municipalities), 842 villages (communes), and 628 localities within communes and towns (municipalities).
In 157 localities of the country, which are not under the de facto control of the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova, it was not possible to conduct the census. These are localities within the administrative-territorial units on the left bank of the Nistru River, the municipality of Bender (including the village of Proteagailovca), the commune of Chițcani (including the villages of Merenești and Zahorna), the villages of Cremenciug and Gîsca in the district of Căușeni, the commune of Corjova (including the village of Mahala) in the district of Dubăsari, as well as the village of Roghi in the commune of Molovata Nouă, district of Dubăsari (Table 1 in the Annex).
Population size and structure by place of residence and sex
According to the final results, the 2024 census enumerated 2,417,700 persons, of whom 2,323,100 were usually resident (or resident population) and 94,600 were non-residents (3.9%). Based on the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) conducted between July 15 and August 11, 2024, and the use of relevant administrative data sources (ADS), the net coverage4 of the usual resident population counted was estimated which amounted to 86.1 thousand persons (Table 1 below and Table 3 in the Annex). Thus, the estimated number of the population with usual residence (hereinafter referred to as "population"), determined on the basis of net coverage, on April 8, 2024, was 2,409.2 thousand persons, decreasing by 380.0 thousand persons (or 13.6%) compared to the 2014 census.
Table 1. Enumerated population and population with usual residence,
according to the 2024 and 2014 censuses, persons
| 2024 PHC | 2014 PHC | |||||
Number of persons enumerated | Usually resident population (URP) | Number of persons enumerated | Of which URP number enumerated | Estimated URP number6 | ||
| Number of URP enumerated | Estimated net coverage4 | Estimated URP number5 | ||||
2 417 685 | 2 323 093 | 86 114 | 2 409 207 | 2 804 801 | 2 595 771 | 2 789 205 |
According to the final results of the 2024 census, 46.4% (or 1,119,000 people) lived in urban areas and 53.6% (or 1,290,200 people) lived in rural areas. Although the share of the urban population is constantly growing, the Republic of Moldova remains practically the most rural country in Europe. In terms of gender, women accounted for 1,271,900 persons or 52.8% of the country's population (compared to 52.0% in the 2014 census) and the number of men was 1,137,300 people or 47.2% of the country's population (compared to 48.0% in the 2014 PHC) (Figure 1, Tables 4 and 6 in the Annex).
Figure 1. Share of population by place of residence and gender: RPL 2024 and 2014, %
The evolution of the population of the Republic of Moldova based on censuses from 1959 to 2024 shows continuous growth in the censuses of 1959, 1970, 1979, and 1989, with a peak of 3.6 million recorded in the 1989 census, and a continuous decline in the latest censuses of 2004, 2014, and 20246 (Figure 2, Table 5 in the Annex).
Figure 2. Population at the censuses of 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, 2004, 2014, and 20247, thousands of people
Among the administrative-territorial units of the Republic of Moldova where the 2024 census was conducted, the urban population predominates mainly in the municipalities of Bălți (96.2%) and Chișinău (88.4%). This is followed by the district of Taraclia with 51.2% of the population living in urban areas, the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia with 42.6%, and Basarabeasca with 42.2%. The other districts have a lower degree of urbanization, with the lowest percentage of urban population in the districts of Cantemir (8%), Criuleni (9.5%), Telenești (11.3%), Anenii Noi (11.5%), and in the Dubăsari district, there are no urban localities where it was possible to conduct a census (Figure 3, Table 6 in the Annex).
Figure 3. Share of urban population in Chisinau municipality, Gagauzia ATU, districts/municipalities, %
Territorial distribution of the population: by development regions and districts
The distribution of cities at the level of administrative-territorial units on the reference date of the 2024 census (08.04.2024) is as follows: in 20 districts and the municipality of Bălți there is only one urban locality, represented by the city-residence, in 9 districts there are two cities each, in 2 districts and the Gagauzia ATU there are three each, and within the municipality of Chișinău there are seven cities.
The territorial distribution of the population in the 2024 census shows an increasing concentration of the population in the municipality of Chișinău, which has the largest population among the development regions and municipalities - 720,100 permanent residents (or 29.9% of the total), followed by the Central development region with 670,100 inhabitants (27.8%) and the North with 608,700 inhabitants (25.3%). The smallest population among the development regions is in the South development region, with 306,700 inhabitants (12.7%), and the Gagauzia ATU, with 103,700 inhabitants (4.3%) (Figure 4, Table 4 in the Annex).
Figure 4. Population distribution by development regions, %
The second largest municipality in terms of population is Bălți, with 94,500 inhabitants, while at the district level, the largest populations are in the districts of Orhei (79,200), Ungheni (75,800), Ialoveni (74,500), and Cahul (72,800). The smallest populations are in the districts of Basarabeasca (14,900) and Dubăsari (21,800) (Figure 5, Tables 5 and 6 in the Annex).
Figure 5. Population in Chișinău municipality, Gagauzia ATU, districts/municipalities
Over the last ten years, between the two censuses, all districts and the municipality of Bălți have seen a decline in population. In 28 districts, the population decline is over 20%. The largest population decline between the 2014 and 2024 censuses was recorded in the districts of Ocnița (-29.5%), Leova (-29.2%), Briceni (-28.7%), and Cantemir (-28.5%). A less pronounced population decline was recorded in the municipality of Bălți (-5.9%), the district of Ialoveni (-12.9%) and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (-14.9%). Only the municipality of Chișinău recorded a population increase, with 16.8% (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Number change of population at 2024 PHC compared to RPL 2014, %
Changes in population density by development regions, districts, and municipalities
Population density trends are directly dependent on the population size of administrative-territorial units and their surface area. At the national level, density values decreased from 92.1 inhabitants (URP) per km2 in 2014 to 79.5 inhabitants per km2 in 2024.
At the district level, population density decreased most significantly in Leova, Cantemir, Briceni, Ocnița, Cimișlia, and Șoldănești—by over 27%. The only exception is the municipality of Chișinău, where the density increased from 1,071 inhabitants per km² in 2014 to 1,260 inhabitants per km² in 2024, or by 17.6%.
The most densely populated districts are those in the Central development region: Ialoveni (95.1 inhabitants/km2), Strășeni (84.2 inhabitants/km2), Criuleni (76.9 inhabitants/km2), and Ungheni (70 inhabitants/km2). At the opposite end of the spectrum are the districts in the South development region, with the lowest population densities in the districts of Cimișlia (33.5 inhabitants/km2), Leova (37.7 inhabitants/km2), Cantemir (38.2 inhabitants/km2) and Taraclia (39.2 inhabitants/km2) (Table 8 in the Annex).
Population structure by sex: territorial profile
The structure by sex traditionally shows a higher proportion of the female population, with no significant differences at regional and local level.
At the national level, women represent 52.8% of the population, and at the district/municipality level, the highest percentage of women is in the municipality of Bălți (54.8%) and the lowest in the districts of Leova (50.4%) and Cantemir (50.5%). At the level of towns and villages (communes), the highest percentage of female population is in the village (commune) of Pervomaiscoe in the district of Drochia (56.9%), and the highest percentage of male population is in the village (commune) of Cobusca Veche in the district of Anenii Noi (59.1%) (Tables 7 and 11 in the Annex).
Population distribution in cities (municipalities) and villages (communes)
Among cities/municipalities, Chișinău stands out in terms of population, with 567,000 inhabitants, followed by Bălți with 90,900 inhabitants. Next in terms of population are the cities of Ungheni (26,500 inhabitants), Durlești (26,300), Cahul (22,200), Orhei (22,200), and Soroca (21,100).
By development region, the largest city in the North region is Bălți, in the Center region – Ungheni, in the South – Cahul, and in the Gagauzia ATU – Comrat (19,100 inhabitants). The smallest cities in terms of population are: Frunză in the Ocnița district (581 inhabitants), Mărculești in the Florești district (1,049 inhabitants), Bucovăț in Strășeni district (1,064 inhabitants), Ghindești in Florești district (1,251 inhabitants) and Cornești in Ungheni district (1,698 inhabitants) (Table 11 in the Annex).
At the village (commune) level, the largest in terms of population are the communes within the municipality of Chișinău: Băcioi (11,700 inhabitants), Stăuceni (11,200 inhabitants, which became a town after the 2024 census), Bubuieci (11,200 inhabitants), and Trușeni (10,900 inhabitants).
Within the Central region, the largest village (commune) is Costești in the Ialoveni district (8,427 inhabitants), in the Northern region - Pelinia in the Drochia district (4,913 inhabitants), in the Southern region - Talmaza in the Ștefan Vodă district (4,460 inhabitants), and in the Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Unit, it is Congaz (8,269 inhabitants, which was the largest village (commune) in the Republic of Moldova in previous censuses).
Categories of cities (municipalities) and villages (communes) according to population size
he classification of cities (municipalities) and villages (communes) by population according to international criteria9 shows a predominant concentration of the population of the Republic of Moldova in 512 cities and communes with between 1,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, representing 40.4% of the country's population (Table 9 in the Annex).
The city of Chișinău accounts for 23.5% of the population of the Republic of Moldova and is the only locality with over 100,000 inhabitants (567,000 inhabitants). Another 28 cities (municipalities) and villages (communes) have between 5,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, representing 8.2% of the total population, 18 localities have between 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants (9.6% of the total population), and 6 cities (municipalities) have between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, accounting for 8.7% of the population, including the city (municipality) of Bălți with 3.8% of the country's population (Tables 10 and 11 in the Annex).
There are 332 towns (municipalities) and villages (communes) with a population of less than 1,000 inhabitants, accounting for 9.5% of the population. The smallest are Salcia in the Taraclia district (182 inhabitants), Ochiul Roș in the Anenii Noi district (236 inhabitants), Antoneuca in the Drochia district (274 inhabitants) and Carbalia in the Gagauzia ATU (283 inhabitants) (Table 11 in the Annex).
Figure 7. Population distribution by city (municipality) and village (commune)
categories by population size in 2024 and 2014 PHC, %
Population in collective living spaces
Population in collective housing10 counts 22.8 thousand people, most of whom - 14.5 thousand (or 63.3% of the total) - are male, and 17.7 thousand (77.4%) live in urban areas.
The distribution by development regions highlights the concentration of this population group in the municipality of Chișinău, with 10.3 thousand people (45.1% of the total), followed by the Central (5,500 persons or 24.2%), Northern (4,700 persons or 20.4%), and Southern (1,900 persons or 8.4%) development regions, and the least numerous in the Gagauzia ATU (0.4 thousand persons or 1.9%) (Figure 8, Table 12 in the Annex).
Figure 8. Share of population living in collective housing by development region, %
Annexes:
Note:
1 The information is presented for the territory where the census was actually conducted within the framework of the 2024 RPL, i.e. excluding the administrative-territorial units on the left bank of the Nistru River, the municipality of Bender (including the village of Proteagailovca), the commune of Chițcani (including the villages of Merenești and Zahorna), the villages of Cremenciug and Gîsca in the Căușeni district, the commune of Corjova (including the village of Mahala) in the Dubăsari district, as well as the village of Roghi in the commune of Molovata Nouă, Dubăsari district.
2 Population with usual residence (the "resident" population or URP) – represents the population that lived predominantly in the country in the last 12 months prior to 08.04.2024 (the reference date of the census), regardless of temporary absences for the purpose of rest, vacation, visits to relatives and friends, business, medical treatment, or religious pilgrimages (art.4 of the Law 231/2022 on the population and housing census (ro)).
3 The 2024 PHC results are presented according to final data, excluding all duplicates recorded in the census.
4 Net coverage represents the difference between the number of under-covered and over-covered persons in the census. The Post-Census Survey (PCS) data and data on the crossing of the state border by individuals, provided by the Border Police (BP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), were used to estimate net coverage.
5 According to the Methodology for conducting the 2024 Population and Housing Census and processing its data (ro), approved by Order of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) No. 29/2024, as amended by Order of the NBS no. 65/2024 (ro) and no. 11/2025 (ro), in addition to the census data collected in the field, the total number of the population with usual residence (URP) was estimated using: a) the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), conducted between July 15 and August 11, 2024, to assess the degree of undercoverage b) data on the crossing of the state border by individuals, held by the Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – to assess the degree of overcoverage; and c) "signs of life" present in various administrative data sources (ADS), in particular during the year prior to the census reference date, using statistical estimation methods.
6 For 2014 PHC, data on the population with usual residence were adjusted based on PES results only for Chisinau. The PES was conducted by the NBS between June 16 and 29, 2014. Disaggregated data on the population with usual residence for 2014 PHC (including that estimated based on the PES) are disseminated for the first time (data by territory, place of residence, sex, etc.).
7 The data for the censuses conducted between 1959 and 1989 cover the entire territory of the republic and refer to the census population. Data for the 2004–2024 censuses do not cover the administrative-territorial units on the left bank of the Nistru River, the municipality of Bender (including the village of Proteagailovca), the commune of Chițcani (including the villages of Merenești and Zahorna), the villages of Cremenciug and Gîsca in the district of Căușeni, the commune of Corjova (including the village of Mahala) in the district of Dubăsari, as well as the village of Roghi in the commune of Molovata Nouă, district of Dubăsari, and for the 2014 and 2024 RPLs, they refer to the URP.
8 The population presented for Chișinău does not include the population of the seven towns and villages (communes) that make up the municipality of Chișinău.
9 Classification of cities (municipalities) and villages (communes) by the number of population, Statistics Division of the United Nations.
10 Collective living space (CLS) - one or more separate buildings, located at the same address, intended to be inhabited for varying periods of time by groups of people who generally no family ties, and who are usually united by common goals and interests and who may share certain spaces and facilities, such as kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, etc. (student dormitories, retirement homes, monasteries, etc.).
Methodological clarifications:
The Population and Housing Census (PHC) is a comprehensive statistical survey, whose primary objective is to produce official statistics on population and housing that are internationally comparable.
2024 PHC was conducted in accordance with national legislation, taking into account international recommendations, thus ensuring global and regional comparability (including the recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations (UN), the Conference of European Statisticians for the 2020 round of population and housing censuses, Regulation (EC) No. 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, etc.).
The reference moment for the 2024 Population and Housing Census was 00:00 on April 8, 2024.
Within the framework of 2024 PHC, in order to ensure the completeness/comprehensiveness and accuracy of the data, a number of new methods and techniques were applied, compared to previous censuses, such as:
- Enumeration by interviewing people at their usual place of residence using a tablet (CAPI) and recording their responses with an electronic application. The use of digital technologies has significantly improved the quality of the data collected, ensured confidentiality, and speeded up the interview process.
- he collection of the individual's state identification number (IDNP) within the 2024 RPL allowed for the combination and integration, for the purpose of producing official census statistics, of personal data collected directly from respondents and data collected indirectly from administrative and private data sources.
- The census period was extended to three months, compared to previous RPLs, which were limited to 14 days. At least 5 home visits in case of lack of contact with the household.
- Diversification of census methods and techniques & facilitation of the census contributed to increasing population coverage within the 2024 RPL, including:
- Reporting the date of repeated visits by the enumerator
- Via the online form available on the BNS website
- Functioning of the green line for interaction with the population
- Electronic data collection, through interviews facilitated by electronic devices (CATI) or via the Internet (CAWI - for the census of diplomatic and consular staff)
- Functioning of fixed population census points during the last week of the census, offering the possibility for persons who were not included in the census to be counted at the headquarters of the territorial offices of the NBS, etc.
- Conducting a representative PES for the Republic of Moldova at the level of development regions, urban/rural areas, genders, and major age groups (in 2014, the PES was conducted only for the city of Chișinău) – to assess undercoverage in the PES.
- PHC over-coverage assessment study.
- Use of SDA and the "signs of life" method to supplement data collected in the field and estimate the total population of the country (including those not covered by the PHC).
Relevant information: