Social research and data on Moldova
Demography, incomes, poverty, the labour market and urban–rural disparities in Moldova, based on National Bureau of Statistics data.
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.
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).
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).
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.
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%.
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.
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.
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