# Average wage in Moldova, 2025: 15,594.5 lei, up 11.5%, slowest growth since 2020

*After three years of nominal increases of 14-17%, growth in average gross earnings eased in 2025; in euro terms the average reached 796, 3.6 times its 2014 level*

- **Published:** 2026-10-15
- **Publisher:** Socium — Foundation for the Study of Society (Chișinău, Republic of Moldova)
- **Topic:** Moldova
- **URL:** https://socium.md/en/analyses/2026-10-15-average-wage-in-moldova-2025-15-594-5-lei-up-11-5-slowest-growth-since-2020/
- **Data sources:** National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova (NBS), statistical databank

**Key figure:** 15,595 lei — Average gross monthly earnings (15,594.5 lei), Moldova, 2025 (NBS)

## Summary

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).

## Key findings

- Average gross monthly earnings reached 15,594.5 lei in 2025, an increase of 1,604.5 lei (11.5%) on the 2024 level (13,990 lei), according to the NBS.
- Nominal growth of 11.5% in 2025 is the lowest since the 9.8% recorded in 2020. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, increases were 16.3%, 16.9% and 14.6% respectively.
- Expressed in euro, the average wage rose by 9.6% in 2025 (from 726.6 to 796 euro), and in US dollars by 14.2% (from 786.3 to 897.8 USD). The differences reflect exchange-rate movements.
- Compared with 2014, average earnings have risen in nominal terms 3.8-fold in lei (from 4,089.7 lei), 3.6-fold in euro (from 219.5) and 3.1-fold in US dollars (from 291.3).
- In 2025, rising wages coexist with an absolute poverty rate of 31.1% (40.0% in rural areas) and an employment rate of 50.3% among those aged 15-64. The average wage reflects only the earnings of employees, not the incomes of all households.

## 2025: the average wage passes 15,500 lei, but growth slows

According to the NBS, average gross monthly earnings across the economy were 15,594.5 lei in 2025, compared with 13,990 lei in 2024. The nominal increase was 1,604.5 lei, or 11.5%.

This is the fifth consecutive year of double-digit nominal growth, following the 9.8% increase in 2020, the year of the pandemic. The pace has, however, slowed markedly: after 16.3% in 2022, 16.9% in 2023 and 14.6% in 2024, the 11.5% rise in 2025 is the slowest since 2020. In absolute terms, too, the annual gain (1,604.5 lei) is smaller than in 2024 (1,780.8 lei) and 2023 (1,761.9 lei).

In foreign-currency terms, average gross earnings in 2025 were equivalent to 796 euro and 897.8 US dollars, based on conversions published by the NBS. In euro, annual growth was 9.6%, the most modest since the 6.7% recorded in 2021.

**Average gross monthly earnings, 2014-2025 (lei)**

| Label | Lei |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 4,089.7 |
| 2015 | 4,538.4 |
| 2016 | 4,997.8 |
| 2017 | 5,587.4 |
| 2018 | 6,268 |
| 2019 | 7,233.7 |
| 2020 | 7,943 |
| 2021 | 8,979.8 |
| 2022 | 10,447.3 |
| 2023 | 12,209.2 |
| 2024 | 13,990 |
| 2025 | 15,594.5 |

*Source: NBS, statistical databank*

## A decade of multiplication: 3.8-fold in lei, 3.6-fold in euro

In 2014, average gross earnings stood at 4,089.7 lei; by 2025 they had reached 15,594.5 lei, 3.8 times higher in nominal terms. In euro, the increase was from 219.5 to 796 (3.6-fold), and in US dollars from 291.3 to 897.8 (3.1-fold).

The series did not rise evenly. Between 2014 and 2016, earnings in lei rose by 22.2% (from 4,089.7 to 4,997.8 lei), but in euro by only 3.2% (from 219.5 to 226.6). In US dollars they actually fell, from 291.3 to 250.8. The depreciation of the leu in those years largely cancelled out the nominal gain for those who measure their incomes against foreign currency.

The period 2017-2019 brought increases of 11.8%, 12.2% and 15.4% in lei, and of between 16.4% and 18.4% in euro. The slowdown of 2020 (9.8% in lei) was followed by the fastest cycle in the series: 13.1% in 2021, 16.3% in 2022, 16.9% in 2023 and 14.6% in 2024. The year 2025, at 11.5%, marks the end of this cycle, although growth remains above that of 2015 and 2016 (11.0% and 10.1%).

## Lei, euro, dollars: what the differing growth rates reveal

The same wage trajectory looks different depending on the unit of measurement, and the difference stems from the exchange rate rather than from incomes. In 2015, earnings in lei rose by 11.0%, but fell by 1.0% in euro and by 17.2% in US dollars. In 2022, by contrast, earnings in euro grew by 22.3%, faster than the 16.3% in lei, amid the appreciation of the leu against the euro.

In 2025, the ranking is as follows: 9.6% in euro, 11.5% in lei and 14.2% in US dollars. Implied exchange rates calculated from NBS values point to a slight depreciation of the leu against the euro, from around 19.25 to around 19.59 lei per euro. Against the US dollar, the leu appreciated, from around 17.79 to around 17.37 lei per dollar. This accounts for the larger increase in dollar terms.

For international comparisons, and for households that receive remittances or make payments in foreign currency, the relevant benchmark is the level of 796 euro. For domestic purchasing power, however, what matters is lei and local prices, and the present dataset does not include a price index.

**Average gross monthly earnings in euro equivalent, 2014-2025 (euro)**

| Label | Euro |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 219.5 |
| 2015 | 217.2 |
| 2016 | 226.6 |
| 2017 | 268.3 |
| 2018 | 315.9 |
| 2019 | 367.7 |
| 2020 | 402.3 |
| 2021 | 429.1 |
| 2022 | 525 |
| 2023 | 621.6 |
| 2024 | 726.6 |
| 2025 | 796 |

*Source: NBS, statistical databank*

## The average wage and the wider society in 2025

Growth in the average wage does not automatically translate into general well-being, as the indicator covers employees only. In 2025, the employment rate among those aged 15-64 was 50.3% nationally, 57.2% in urban areas and 44.0% in rural areas (NBS, Labour Force Survey). Almost half of the working-age population is therefore not directly affected by wage dynamics.

In the same year, the absolute poverty rate was 31.1% nationally, with a wide gap between areas: 21.1% in urban and 40.0% in rural areas (NBS). The poverty gap index was 8.93 in rural areas, compared with 4.05 in urban areas. The coexistence of a rising average wage with high rural poverty, alongside lower rural employment, is consistent with the hypothesis that the benefits of wage growth accrue mainly where employment is denser. The present data, however, do not allow causal attribution.

Two limitations should be noted. First, the values are nominal: the dataset does not contain the consumer price index, so real wage growth in 2025 cannot be calculated here. Second, the arithmetic mean is sensitive to high salaries. Without the median wage or the decile distribution, it is not possible to say how many employees actually earn 15,594.5 lei gross or more.

## Implications for Moldova

The slowdown in wage growth, from 14.6% in 2024 to 11.5% in 2025, warrants monitoring alongside the fall in the employment rate among those aged 15-64, from 52.3% to 50.3%. Should both trends continue, the wage bill and the social contribution base would grow more slowly than in 2022-2024, with implications for public budgets and the pension system.

The gap between average wage dynamics and rural poverty of 40.0% shows that wage income does not reach all households. Formal employment in rural areas and targeted social transfers are two channels through which households without employees can be reached, each with its own costs and limitations.

For public policy and social dialogue, the systematic publication of the median wage and the decile distribution, alongside the mean, would allow a more accurate assessment of the gains from more than ten years of nominal growth.

The level of 796 euro gross remains the benchmark for external comparisons. How much of future wage growth will be visible in euro terms, however, also depends on the exchange rate, which in 2025 kept growth in euro below growth in lei.

## Methodology

The principal source is the National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova (NBS): average gross monthly earnings across the economy, 2014-2025, expressed in lei and in euro and US dollar equivalents, based on conversions published by the NBS. Annual growth rates, absolute increases and multiples relative to 2014 were calculated by Socium from NBS values and are nominal. The dataset does not include the consumer price index, so real growth has not been estimated. Implied exchange rates (lei per euro and lei per US dollar respectively) were obtained by dividing the value in lei by the foreign-currency equivalent. They are approximate and serve only to interpret the differences in growth rates between lei, euro and US dollars. The contextual indicators for 2025, namely the absolute poverty rate by area of residence and employment rates among those aged 15-64, are also from the NBS (Household Budget Survey and Labour Force Survey respectively). They are not directly comparable with the average wage, which covers employees only. The median wage, the decile distribution and wages by area of residence or by sex are not available in this dataset.

## Sources

- [National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova (NBS), statistical databank](https://statbank.statistica.md)

## How to cite

Socium. (2026, October 15). Average wage in Moldova, 2025: 15,594.5 lei, up 11.5%, slowest growth since 2020. Foundation for the Study of Society. https://socium.md/en/analyses/2026-10-15-average-wage-in-moldova-2025-15-594-5-lei-up-11-5-slowest-growth-since-2020/

Licence: [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — reuse with attribution to Socium.