Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova

Moldova: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 25.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
25.9%
World rank
89th
of 179 countries
All-time high
25.9%
in 2020
All-time low
16.8%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 16.8 %1955: 17.4 %1960: 17.9 %1965: 19.1 %1970: 19.9 %1975: 21.4 %1980: 21.2 %1985: 21.2 %1990: 21.4 %1995: 22.1 %2000: 22.2 %2005: 22.8 %2010: 23.5 %2015: 24.2 %2020: 25.9 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova is 25.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 10.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova peaked at 25.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 1950.

Moldova ranks 89th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.1% 16.8% 17.4% 2
1960s 18.5% 17.9% 19.1% 2
1970s 20.7% 19.9% 21.4% 2
1980s 21.2% 21.2% 21.2% 2
1990s 21.7% 21.4% 22.1% 2
2000s 22.5% 22.2% 22.8% 2
2010s 23.8% 23.5% 24.2% 2
2020s 25.9% 25.9% 25.9% 1

Countries ranked near Moldova

  1. 86 Hungary 26.7% compare
  2. 87 Sri Lanka 26.0% compare
  3. 88 Puerto Rico 25.9% compare
  4. 90 Bulgaria 25.9% compare
  5. 91 Honduras 25.7% compare
  6. 92 Portugal 25.5% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Moldova

All data for Moldova →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Moldova was 25.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Moldova?
The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Moldova?
The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 1950.
How does Moldova rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Moldova ranks 89th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Moldova?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Moldova data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.