The Transnistrian region is facing the most severe economic and social crisis in the last 25 years. According to the IDIS “Viitorul” expert, Veaceslav Ionita, the GDP per capita has dropped to 3,800 dollars, compared to 8,400 dollars on the right bank of the Dniester, and the region’s economy has recorded a contraction of about 18% last year, reports IPN.
“The left bank of the Dniester entered 2025 in the deepest economic and social crisis of at least the last 25 years. The industry has collapsed, the GDP has dramatically decreased, exports are at a historical low, and the population – both employees and retirees – are living worse than a decade ago”, explained the economist.
Veaceslav Ionita states that the industry, the main pillar of the economy, has suffered a decline of over 30% in a single year, and production is operating at only 75% of the level from 1989. Wages and pensions remain twice as low as on the right bank, and inflation has risen to 14.7%. In the long term, prices on the left bank of the Nistru have increased 11.1 times in the last two and a half decades, compared to 6.7 times on the right bank, despite the advantages related to lower energy and service costs.
Exports have reached the lowest level in the last 20 years, the expert added. According to him, most are directed towards the right bank and the European Union, while deliveries to Russia have significantly decreased.
