Analyses
New analyses every week on Moldova, the European Union, global trends and comparisons, built exclusively on official data with transparent methodology.
Poverty in Moldova 2025: rural rate 1.9 times higher, severity 2.5 times higher
In 2025, 31.1% of Moldova's population lived in absolute poverty (NBS). The rural–urban gap is 1.9 times for the rate, 2.2 times for depth and 2.5 times for severity.
GlobalGDP per capita 2025: Moldova at 77.8% of world average, but losing ground to Romania
In 2025, Moldova's GDP per capita (PPP) reached USD 19,995.8, or 77.8% of the world average, up from 57.2% in 2014. Relative to Romania, its share fell from 41.9% to 39.3%.
MoldovaAverage wage in Moldova, 2025: 15,594.5 lei, up 11.5%, slowest growth since 2020
In 2025, average gross earnings in Moldova stood at 15,594.5 lei (796 euro), 11.5% above 2024. This is the slowest nominal growth since 2020, following increases of 14-17% in 2022-2024 (NBS).
European UnionPoverty in the EU 2025: Romania down 17.1 pp in a decade; Germany and France rising
In 2025, 20.9% of the EU population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion (Eurostat). Romania fell from 44.5% in 2015 to 27.4%, while Germany, France and Austria rose.
ComparativeMoldova's unemployment at 1.5% in 2025, yet only 50.3% of 15–64-year-olds are in work
In 2025 Moldova's unemployment rate was 1.5% (ILO estimate), below Poland (3.0%), Bulgaria (3.5%), the EU (5.9%) and Romania (6.0%), yet only 50.3% of those aged 15–64 were employed (NBS).
MoldovaWomen's employment in Moldova falls to 47.4% in 2025 as gender gap returns to 6 points
In 2025 the employment rate of Moldovan women aged 15-64 fell to 47.4% (−3.7 percentage points on 2024), against 53.4% for men. The gender gap widened from 2.6 to 6.0 pp (NBS).
ComparativeMoldova allocates 6.6% of GDP to education in 2023, almost double Romania's share
Moldova allocated 6.6% of GDP to education in 2023, almost double Romania's share (3.3% in 2022). Per capita, spending in 2022 was around 37% of the EU level.
GlobalMoldova's population falls by 1.75% in 2025, the steepest decline among the countries compared
In 2025, Moldova's population falls by 1.75%, against −0.13% in Bulgaria, −0.17% in Romania and +0.2% in the EU. It is the steepest decline among the countries compared, despite fertility above the EU average.
ComparativePISA 2022: 1.7% of Moldova's pupils are top performers, against 13.7% in the OECD
In PISA 2022 Moldova scored 414 points in mathematics, 58 below the OECD average, and only 1.7% of pupils reached levels 5-6 in at least one subject. Education: 6.6% of GDP (2023).
MoldovaThe gender gap: women in Moldova live 8.8 years longer than men
In 2025 life expectancy stood at 77.2 years for women and 68.4 years for men (NBS). Yet the employment rate of women aged 15–64 was 47.4%, 6.0 percentage points below that of men.
GlobalIncome inequality: Moldova's Gini at 26.8 in 2023 — 12.7 points below Bulgaria
With a Gini index of 26.8 in 2023, Moldova has the most equal distribution among regional countries with recent data, yet its GDP per capita at PPP stands at 77.8% of the world average (2025).
ComparativeRemittances: Moldova at 9.4% of GDP in 2025, below Georgia and 10.9 times the EU average
In 2025, remittances accounted for 9.4% of GDP in Moldova, against 11.2% in Georgia, 2.5% in Romania and 0.9% in the EU. The share is 57% lower than in 2014 (22.1%).
MoldovaMoldova's villages are ageing: average age 42.1 in rural areas, 2.9 years above towns in 2026
NBS data: the average age in rural areas rose from 37.7 years (2015) to 42.1 years (2026), against 39.2 years in towns. The rural population fell by 27.1% in 11 years, the urban population by 1.3%.
ComparativeGDP per capita: Moldova at 30.5% of the EU average and 39% of Romania's level in 2025
In 2025 Moldova's GDP per capita at PPP stood at 19,996 international dollars — 30.5% of the EU average and 39.3% of Romania's level. The relative gap is narrowing; the absolute gap is widening.
GlobalFertility in Eastern Europe: Moldova at 1.73 children per woman, above the EU average of 1.34
In 2024 the total fertility rate stood at 1.726 children per woman in Moldova, against 1.341 in the EU and 0.988 in Ukraine. The world average fell to 2.188, down from 2.517 in 2014.
European UnionEU unemployment 2025: the gap between member states has narrowed from 20.6 to 7.7 points
In 2015 the distance between Greece (25.0%) and Germany (4.4%) was 20.6 pp; in 2025 the gap between Spain (10.5%) and Czechia (2.8%) is 7.7 pp. Convergence has not automatically meant less poverty.
MoldovaMoldova 2025: rural employment falls to 44%, gap with towns doubles
In 2025 the employment rate (15-64) stood at 57.2% in urban areas and 44.0% in rural areas — a gap of 13.2 pp, double the 6.7 pp recorded in 2023, NBS data show.
European UnionEU poverty risk at its lowest level in a decade
In 2025, 20.9% of the EU population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 3.1 pp less than in 2015. Romania made the fastest progress but remains near the bottom of the ranking.
MoldovaAbsolute poverty in 2025: two in five rural residents are poor
The absolute poverty rate was 31.1% in 2025: 21.1% in towns and 40.0% in villages. Meanwhile, the average gross wage rose to EUR 796.
ComparativeLife expectancy: Moldova ten years behind the EU average
In 2024, a newborn in Moldova could expect to live 71.3 years, 10.2 years less than the EU average and below the global average, according to World Bank data.
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