Demographic Situation
As of January 1, 2025, the number of children aged 0–17 in the Republic of Moldova accounted for 494.1 thousand¹, representing 20.7% of the usual resident population. The number of live births in 2024 was 23.6 thousand², marking a decrease of 2.0% compared to 2023. Of the total number of live births, 51.3% were boys.

Children’s Education
At the end of 2024, the number of children enrolled in early education institutions was 127.2 thousand, about 2.4 thousand fewer than at the end of 2023. In 2024, just over half of the children in early education institutions were enrolled in urban institutions (51.7%), and 51.9% of the children were boys. In primary and general secondary education, there were 335.1 thousand students enrolled. By sex and place of residence, 51.0% of students were boys, and 57.3% studied in urban areas.

Social Protection of Children
According to the data of National Office for Social Insurance, as of January 1, 2025, the number of recipients of the lump sum childbirth indemnity accounted for 35.9 thousand persons (14.5% more than on January 1, 2024). The number of recipients (mothers, fathers, and other persons) of the monthly child-raising indemnity for children up to 3 years old was 33.8 thousand (13.2% fewer compared to January 1, 2024), while the number of recipients of the monthly child care indemnity for children up to 2 years old was 64.8 thousand (2.4% more compared to January 1, 2024). As of January 1, 2025, 11.4 thousand children with disabilities received monthly state social allowances, 48.6% of them being children with severe disabilities. In 2024, the minimum subsistence level for children was 2,947.7 lei. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, by the end of 2024, around 7.9 thousand children were registered as being at risk³. By age group: 11.5% were aged 0–2 years old, 24.6% were 3–6 years old, 52.8% were 7–15 years old, and 11.1% were 16–17 years old. Among the at-risk children, 272 had disabilities.

Children’s Health
According to the data of National Agency for Public Health, at the end of 2024, the number of pediatricians accounted for 462. About 7.3 thousand children were born with or developed various diseases, representing 30.3% of all live births. Perinatal conditions ranked highest among causes of morbidity in newborns. The incidence rate of diseases among children in their first year of life was 1,175 new cases per 1,000 children. The most common diseases among children were respiratory diseases, anemia, and infectious and parasitic diseases. By the end of 2024, in the disease incidence structure among children aged 0–17, respiratory diseases prevailed (497 new cases per 1,000 children), followed by traumatic injuries, poisonings, and other external causes (57 new cases), and infectious and parasitic diseases (54 new cases). In 2024, the number of new malignant tumor cases increased, reaching 18.5 new cases per 100,000 children aged 0–17, compared to 15.4 in 2023. Also, in 2024 there were 24.1 new cases of active tuberculosis per 100,000 children aged 0–17. A total of 1.6 thousand children aged 0–17 were newly recognized with disabilities, 56.3% of them from rural areas.

Juvenile Delinquency
According to the data of Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2024 a total of 493 crimes were committed by or with the participation of minors, representing 2.0% of all registered crimes. The most frequent crimes committed by minors remained theft (45.6% of all crimes), pickpocketing (15.0%), hooliganism (7.7%), robbery (6.7%), vehicle theft (5.5%), and other crimes (19.5%). The total number of minors who committed crimes in 2024 was 802. According to the data of Agency for Digitalization in Justice and Judicial Administration, by the end of 2024, the number of minors convicted in the first instance was 281. According to the data of National Penitentiary Administration, in 2024 the number of minors detained in penitentiary institutions, including in pre-trial detention, was 32.

Household Characteristics with Children

According to the Household Budget Survey, in 2024, 26.8% of all households had children under 18 years of age, of which 48.4% had one child, 37.3% had two children, and 14.3% had three or more. By household type, they were mainly composed of family couples (61.5%). Single-parent households accounted for 10.5% of all households with children. Among all households with children, 16.0% had at least one member working abroad or seeking employment abroad. The main source of income for households with children was salaried work (62.4%), followed by social benefits (9.3%), non-agricultural self-employment (6.5%), and agricultural self-employment (4.9%). The child absolute poverty rate was 33.6%, representing an increase of 3.4 percentage points compared to 2023.

More detailed information is available in Romanian language.

Notes:

¹ The data on the number of children in the population as of January 1, 2024, and 2025 are provisional. Both the population number and related indicators dependent on the population size are reported based on the usual resident population, calculated according to the 2014 Population and Housing Census.

Usual residence is defined as the place where a person has predominantly lived during the last 12 months, regardless of temporary absences (for recreation, holidays, visits to relatives and friends, business, medical treatment, religious pilgrimages, etc.).
² The data on the number of live births for the year 2024 are provisional.
³ The concepts of a child at risk, violence, and neglect are used in accordance with Law No. 140/2013 on the special protection of children at risk and children separated from their parents.