Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova
Moldova: Share of population living in urban areas was 53.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Moldova stood at 53.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Moldova peaked at 62.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 49.6%, in 1950.
That places Moldova 202nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.6% | — |
| 1955 | 51.9% | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 54.4% | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 56.8% | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 58.6% | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 59.8% | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 60.8% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 61.7% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 62.2% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 61.3% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 61.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 59.8% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 57.6% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 55.5% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 53.4% | -3.9% |
Moldova compared with similar countries
- Moldova's 53.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 71% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Moldova's 53.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.7%, 77% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 50.7% | 49.6% | 51.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 55.6% | 54.4% | 56.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 59.2% | 58.6% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 61.3% | 60.8% | 61.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 61.7% | 61.3% | 62.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 60.5% | 59.8% | 61.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 56.6% | 55.5% | 57.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 53.4% | 53.4% | 53.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Moldova
More reference data data for Moldova
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2466 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1366 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6117 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.118 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6117 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4303 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6426 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Moldova?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova was 53.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Moldova?
- The highest recorded value was 62.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Moldova?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.6% in 1950.
- How does Moldova rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Moldova ranks 202nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Moldova?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. 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
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.