Moldova - Population, total

The value for Population, total in Moldova was 2,620,495 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 2,977,130 in 1992 and a minimum value of 2,043,664 in 1960.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Popu

See also:

Year Value
1960 2,043,664
1961 2,092,667
1962 2,140,063
1963 2,185,050
1964 2,228,429
1965 2,269,399
1966 2,307,959
1967 2,344,108
1968 2,377,848
1969 2,411,588
1970 2,445,328
1971 2,479,871
1972 2,515,217
1973 2,549,760
1974 2,582,697
1975 2,611,616
1976 2,638,126
1977 2,660,619
1978 2,682,309
1979 2,703,999
1980 2,728,099
1981 2,754,609
1982 2,782,725
1983 2,811,645
1984 2,840,565
1985 2,867,878
1986 2,893,584
1987 2,918,487
1988 2,940,177
1989 2,957,047
1990 2,969,097
1991 2,975,523
1992 2,977,130
1993 2,973,114
1994 2,964,277
1995 2,952,307
1996 2,946,401
1997 2,935,524
1998 2,934,339
1999 2,929,735
2000 2,923,783
2001 2,917,252
2002 2,910,504
2003 2,902,320
2004 2,895,147
2005 2,888,111
2006 2,880,095
2007 2,873,429
2008 2,867,964
2009 2,864,346
2010 2,861,487
2011 2,859,833
2012 2,859,458
2013 2,858,692
2014 2,856,950
2015 2,834,530
2016 2,802,170
2017 2,755,158
2018 2,708,214
2019 2,664,974
2020 2,620,495

Development Relevance: Increases in human population, whether as a result of immigration or more births than deaths, can impact natural resources and social infrastructure. This can place pressure on a country's sustainability. A significant growth in population will negatively impact the availability of land for agricultural production, and will aggravate demand for food, energy, water, social services, and infrastructure. On the other hand, decreasing population size - a result of fewer births than deaths, and people moving out of a country - can impact a government's commitment to maintain services and infrastructure.

Limitations and Exceptions: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack (i) reliable recent census data, and (ii) pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data, are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in both the model and the data. In the UN estimates the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used; therefore interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. Because future trends cannot be known with certainty, population projections have a wide range of uncertainty.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Population