Since Moldova declared independence 33 years ago, the country has hemorrhaged over 1.5 million people from both sides of the Nistru River, the economist Veaceslav Ioniță of the IDIS Viitorul think-tank estimated. He says Moldova is the country with the biggest population decline in all of Europe.
In 1991 the population of the country was 4.34 million inhabitants, including 3.6 million on the western bank of the Nistru River. In 2024, Moldova has only 2.72 million inhabitants, of whom 2.42 million live on the western side.
The workforce is also decreasing. Whereas in 1991 there were 1.5 million employees and 582,000 pensioners, in 2024 there is an estimated number of 625,000 employees and 530,000 pensioners. “We lost 900,000 jobs, and we have been unable to recover them to this day. We haven’t found solutions for economic growth and more jobs”, noted Veaceslav Ioniță.
As for the income of the population, the economist notes that in 1991 the average salary was 434 rubles, and the pension 210.3 rubles. This year, the average salary is estimated at 14,200 lei, and the average pension at 3,850 lei.
