CHISINAU, January 31. /TASS/. Moldova’s population has dropped by half since it became an independent country, Doru Petruti, the director of the Institute of Marketing and Polls (IMAS), said when commenting on the census survey data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics.
"While 35 years ago the country's population was 4.4 million, it is now 2.4 million, and if this pattern continues, the number of Moldovans in the diaspora will soon match the number of those remaining in Moldova. Periods of pro-European power have not just failed to stop the exodus, but have also been witness to historic migration rates and, in recent years, an exponential increase in poverty rates," he wrote on Facebook (banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which is recognized by Russia as extremist).
At the same time, the expert noted that in his personal and professional opinion, the 2.4 million figure given by the analysts is inaccurate, and the number of people remaining in Moldova is actually lower.
In Soviet times, Moldova was a leader among the Union Republics in terms of population growth rate, surpassed only by Tajikistan. Over the first twenty years of independence, the republic's population dropped from 4.4 million to 3.5 million and has been steadily declining since. According to the 2014 census, there were already only 2.6 million people living in Moldova at the time. Researchers predict that by 2050, the number of senior citizens in the country will double and represent approximately 35% of the population. A prolonged economic crisis has also contributed to this situation, causing one-third of the employable population to leave the country in search of better job opportunities. Moldovan migrant workers employed in the EU and Russia send several billion dollars annually back to their home country.
In their election campaigns, almost all Moldovan politicians promise to solve the demographic issue, but nothing changes. According to the estimates of the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), there will be no one to work and support the elderly and children in Moldova in 30-40 years.