People

folclor

pslavic

Population: 4 440 000 (Jan 2004 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24% (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.)