Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Moldova
Moldova: Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) was 56.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
56.4%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
51st
of 214 countries
All-time high
67.9%
in 1970
All-time low
53.1%
in 1989
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Moldova, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Moldova recorded 56.4% for rural population in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Moldova peaked at 67.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 53.1%, in 1989.
Moldova ranks 51st of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Moldova, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 67.9% | — |
| 1971 | 67.1% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 66.3% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 65.5% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 64.6% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 63.8% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 62.9% | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 62.1% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 61.2% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 60.4% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 59.6% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 58.9% | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 58.1% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 57.4% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 56.6% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 55.8% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 55.1% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 54.3% | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 53.5% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 53.1% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 53.2% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 53.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 53.5% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 53.6% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 53.7% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 53.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 54.2% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 54.6% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 55.0% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 55.4% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 55.8% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 56.2% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 56.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 57.0% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 57.2% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 57.3% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 57.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 57.3% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 57.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 57.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 57.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 57.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 57.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 57.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 57.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 57.5% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 57.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 57.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 57.3% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 57.2% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 57.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 56.8% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 56.6% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 56.4% | -0.4% |
Moldova compared with similar countries
- Moldova's 56.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.5%, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Moldova's 56.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.5%, 1.8× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 64.2% | 60.4% | 67.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.2% | 53.1% | 59.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.8% | 53.2% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.7% | 55.4% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.4% | 57.3% | 57.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.8% | 56.4% | 57.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Moldova
More population data for Moldova
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.9131 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.8797 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.9131 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4425 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2118 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.923 (2100)
- Population density 45.12 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 62,192 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.923 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.4989 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Moldova?
- Rural population in Moldova was 56.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 67.9% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.1% in 1989.
- How does Moldova rank for rural population?
- Moldova ranks 51st out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Moldova data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release