Population 4,457,729 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 25% (male 568,609; female 548,837)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,394,604; female 1,514,749)
65 years and over: 10% (male 159,972; female 270,958) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate 0.04% (1998 est.)

Birth rate 14.35 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate 12.42 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate -1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate 43.72 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.32 years
male: 59.61 years
female: 69.27 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate 1.88 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, other 1.7% (1989 figures)
note: internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the Nistru region and Gagauz Turks in the south

Religions Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist (only about 1,000 members) (1991)
note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian

Languages Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 99%
female: 94% (1989 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Moldova on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Moldova People 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Moldova People 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.