The elderly make up over a quarter of Moldova’s population. A report by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates just over 610,000 people aged 60 and older, which is 25.2% of the total population. The share of the elderly has increased in the last five years by 6 points.

The mortality of elderly men exceeds that of women. Overall, the leading causes of death are diseases of the digestive and circulatory systems, with the latter also being the leading cause of disability. Oncological diseases are specific to people in the age group of 65-69 years. Men between the ages of 55 and 64 are more affected by tuberculosis, the report found.

As of January 1, 2024, the total number of pensioners was almost 675,000. Women receive old-age pensions that are about 17% lower on average compared to men’s pensions. A female pensioner received on average 3,683 lei last year, and a male pensioner 4,156 lei. The NBS report notes that the old-age pension covers the subsistence minimum for pensioners by almost 120%.

Around 24 percent of the old-age pensioners were employed at the time the pension was granted. According to the Labor Force Survey, last year, the number of economically active elderly people was 97,000, which is more than 10% of the total number of employed people. The elderly are mainly employed in agricultural activities, education, health care and social assistance.

The NBS report indicates a better financial situation in households with elderly people in urban areas, where the average monthly income is 1,500 lei higher than that of elderly people in villages, on the other hand, the monthly expenses of those in cities are higher by at least one thousand lei. The report states that almost 68% of a pensioner’s monthly income is spent on food and utilities, and only 5.5% on health care. The main source of income for the elderly are social benefits, which constitute 55.4% of the total. Transfers from abroad constituted another 6.2%.

In terms of living conditions, they are better in the urban areas, where the elderly have water, sewage and heating networks. While over 75% of the elderly in the cities have central or autonomous heating in the cold season, in the villages 91 percent of the elderly heat their homes with wood and coal.

The share of elderly people who rate their standard of living as good or very good is higher in urban areas. In cities, 11.6% of households made up of elderly people valued their standard of living highly, while only a little over 5% had this perception in rural areas.