Moldova Overview People
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Moldova Demographics

What is the population of Moldova?

Population 3,364,496
Population Growth Rate -1.02%
Urban Population 47.7%
Population in Major Urban Areas CHISINAU (capital) 677,000
Nationality Noun Moldovan(s)
Nationality Adjective Moldovan
Ethnic Groups Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, Gagauz and other 5.2%
Languages Spoken Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Moldova Health Information

What are the health conditions in Moldova?

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49 67.8%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 12.61
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved 93.7%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved 3.5%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved 99.5%
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP 11.4%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 0.4%
HIV/Aids Deaths 1,300
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population 6.2
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births 11.25
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births 15.2
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births 13.28
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 41
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth 23.5
Obesity - adult prevalence rate 21.2%
People Living with HIV/AIDS 12,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population 3.64
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved 13.3%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved 89.2%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved 84.4%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 1.55
Underweight - percent of children under five years 3.2%

Moldova Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Moldova?

Life Expectancy at Birth 69 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female 73 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male 65 Years
Median Age 35 Years
Median Age - female 37 Years
Median Age - male 33 Years

Moldova Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Moldova median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population 12
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 12.61
Median Age 35 Years
Median Age - female 37 Years
Median Age - male 33 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population -9.92
Population Growth Rate -1.02%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female 1.07
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female 1.07
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female 1
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female .95
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female 1.06
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female .94
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female .6

Moldova Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Moldova?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Medical care is substandard throughout Moldova, including in Chisinau. If you are sick or injured, try to go to Western Europe for treatment. In an emergency, try to contact the local ambulance service. Hospital accommodations are inadequate, technology is not advanced, and there may be shortages of routine medications and supplies. Elderly travelers and those with existing health problems may be at particular risk. The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of medical facilities and English-speaking doctors, but cannot endorse any doctors.

If you take prescription or over-the-counter medications, you should bring an extra supply with you. Pharmacies are not always stocked to Western standards, products are not always labeled in English, and poor quality and/or counterfeit medications have been reported.

Moldova Education

What is school like in Moldova?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP 8.4%
Literacy - female 98.7%
Literacy - male 99.6%
Literacy - total population 99.1%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
School Life Expectancy - female 12 Years
School Life Expectancy - male 12 Years
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary) 12 Years

Moldova Literacy

Can people in Moldova read?

Literacy - female 98.7%
Literacy - male 99.6%
Literacy - total population 99.1%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Moldova Crime

Is Moldova a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Most travelers to Moldova enjoy a safe and pleasant stay. Occasionally, travelers become victims of crime, usually petty theft, but sometimes more serious fraud. Foreign visitors rarely suffer physical violence or sexual assault. Some U.S. citizens have reported theft of money, passports, and small valuables from hotel rooms and local apartments, along with home and office burglaries. Be careful and protect your valuables in Chisinau, just as you would in any major U.S. city.

Be cautious when using ATMs in Moldova. Some U.S. citizens have reported unauthorized access to their accounts after using ATMs (although banks sometimes post their fees later as separate transactions). They have also reported PIN theft from ATMs in Moldova, either by "skimming" devices, which record the card information, or by hidden cameras or "shoulder surfing."

Train and bus services are below Western European standards and some U.S. citizens have been robbed while traveling on international trains to and from Moldova. Be on your guard against pickpockets on public transit. U.S. citizens who use the Moldovan postal service have reported that international letters and package mail are sometimes opened or pilfered.

Don't buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal to bring back into the United States, but if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Internet fraud warning: There are various Internet scams in Moldova that target foreigners. Since 2008, "phishing" schemes have hacked the bank accounts of U.S. businesses and transferred the money to Moldova. Internet auction fraud, in which buyers fail to pay for purchases or send counterfeit checks as payment, is not uncommon.

Be aware of dating scams, in which someone you met over the Internet asks for money. They may say they need money to help their family, buy plane tickets, pay medical bills, provide "economic solvency funds," etc. A number of U.S. citizens have been defrauded. Fraud committed in Moldova is subject to Moldovan law and could prove difficult to prosecute. The U.S. Embassy can do little to assist U.S. citizens defrauded via the Internet. Please see our information on International Financial Scams.

If arrested: If you are arrested in Moldova, authorities of Moldova are required to notify the U.S. Embassy of your arrest. However, Moldovan police, particularly in Transnistria, do not always report the arrest or detention of U.S. citizens. If you are concerned the Department of State may not be aware of your situation, you should request the police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy of your arrest.

Moldova Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Moldova, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Moldovan laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. In some places you may be taken in for questioning if you don't have your passport with you. In some places, it is illegal to take pictures of certain buildings. In some places driving under the influence could land you immediately in jail. These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some activities that might be legal in Moldova, but still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or possessing or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States.If you break local laws in Moldova, your U.S. passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution.

Moldova Population Comparison

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