The National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova has published the preliminary results of the 2024 population census conducted last year. The study revealed several key trends regarding the religious, ethnic, and age structure of the population.

The majority of Moldovans surveyed in 2024 identified themselves as Orthodox — 95.0%, which is 1.6% less than in the 2014 census, the Bureau of Statistics notes. Baptists are in second place among religious groups by a wide margin, of which 1.1% are in Moldova, according to the census. This religious group also ranked second in the 2014 census, although at that time it was 0.8%. 1% of the respondents called themselves atheists.

The population and housing census started in Moldova on April 8, 2024. It lasted three months and ended on July 7. Participation in the survey was mandatory for residents of the country, but religious affiliation, as well as other ethnocultural characteristics (ethnicity and language), were indicated by citizens participating in the census at will.

Of the total population surveyed during the 2024 census, 49.2% named Moldovan as their native language, 31.3% indicated Romanian, 11.1% – Russian, 3.8% – Gagauz, 2.9% – Ukrainian. At the same time, the majority of the population (77.2%) consider themselves Moldovans, 7.9% – Romanians, 4.9% – Ukrainians, 4.2% – Gagauz, 3.2% – Russians.

The data show that the total population of the country has decreased by almost 14% compared to the previous census conducted ten years ago. At the same time, the share of the urban population has increased from 38.5% to 46.4% since 2014, and a third of the republic's residents live in Chisinau.

The census also shows an aging population: in the age group over 65, there is a noticeable increase of 18%, while in the age group from 15 to 64, this figure decreased by more than 4%.

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