Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova

Moldova: Share of population living in urban areas was 53.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
53.4%
World rank
202nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
62.2%
in 1990
All-time low
49.6%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Moldova, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 49.6 %1955: 51.9 %1960: 54.4 %1965: 56.8 %1970: 58.6 %1975: 59.8 %1980: 60.8 %1985: 61.7 %1990: 62.2 %1995: 61.3 %2000: 61.2 %2005: 59.8 %2010: 57.6 %2015: 55.5 %2020: 53.4 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 199 Guinea 53.6% compare
  2. 200 Slovakia 53.5% compare
  3. 201 Tanzania 53.5% compare
  4. 203 Zambia 53.2% compare
  5. 204 Chad 51.5% compare
  6. 205 Bosnia and Herzegovina 51.2% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Moldova

All data for Moldova →

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

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.