35% of the Moldovan families with three and more children live at poverty line. In villages, every third child lives in poverty. The data are available in the Social Monitor “Quality of children’s lives – an impact factor in the sustainable development of Moldova”, presented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul”, IPN reports.

According to the study, about 85% of the poor children live in rural areas. In the families with children, the average monthly income of a member in 2012 was by about 15% lower than the national average. The expenditure for children in villages was 1.4 times lower than in towns, including on food, education and health.

There were identified inequalities as regards the access to health services and information about the own health. The children from rural areas visit the family doctor twice more seldom than those from urban areas. As a result, the number of cases of physical retardation is on the rise. In 2012, there were recorded 14.8 cases of physical retardation per 1,000 children among children aged between 0 and 17. Malnutrition is one of the causes of physical retardation.

The study also shows that the number of children younger than one will fall by about 20% by 2025, while of those aged between 1 and 6 – by about 10%.