Moldova’s population up by about 10,000 residents starting 2004

The number of Moldova’s population (except for the eastern districts and the Bender municipality) has grown by 10,258 residents after the latest census to January 1, 2006. The number of stable population of Moldova, without the eastern districts and the Tighina municipality, registered at the October 5-12, 2004 census count for 383,332 residents, compared with 3,395,600 people on January 2006. It should be mentioned that the demographic decline in 1989-2004 was 0.5 percent a year, because the number of population has dropped by 274,000 people. Specialists say that the decline of the number of population was influenced by reduction of birth rate and negative balance of foreign migration. The 2004 census, whose totals were released on April 7, 2006, shows that the rural population holds 61.4 percent of the total of population, compared with 57.9 percent in 1989. At the same time, the urban population has dropped by 1.0 percent a year, while the rural population has declined by 0.13 percent a year, so that the difference between the two environments has deepened. The distribution of population on territorial criterion reveals the fact that 21 percent of population was living in the Chisinau municipality in 2004 or every 5th person, 4.6 percent in the administrative territorial unit of Gagauzia, 3.8 percent in the Balti municipality. The districts of Cahul, Hincesti, Orhei, Ungheni have more than 100,000 residents. Most of residents were registered in the districts of Basarabeasca - 29,000 persons, Dubasari - 34,000, Soldanesti – 42,000, and Taraclia – 43,000. The total number of interviewed population included temporarily absent persons – 273,000 and 130,000 (47.7 percent) are absent for more than a year.