In Moldova, 350 thousand citizens were missing after the census

The population continues to decline in Moldova. According to the general results of the recent population census, over the past 10 years, there have officially been 350 thousand fewer people in the republic.

These are the data presented today, July 10, a comparative analysis of the 2014 and 2024 censuses, they do not show the exact figures of population decline, but they make it clear the tendency to reduce the population of the republic.

According to preliminary data from the National Bureau of Statistics, 2 million 448 thousand people took part in the census, which is 350 thousand less than 10 years ago. At the same time, the census takers counted 1 million 665 thousand apartments and houses. The final data on the distribution by age, gender, population, religion and other criteria will be published by the end of next year, after their processing and comparison with data from administrative sources.

Almost 4 thousand people categorically refused to provide information to the scribes. At the same time, 20% of respondents refused to provide their personal identification number, which will complicate further information processing and calculations.

The authorities say that 50 people have already been fined for refusing to participate in the census.

"In each individual case, this was discussed with people several times to convince them to take part in the census. Responsibility for non—participation in the census or for unwillingness to provide data is established by Article 330 of the Criminal Code, persons are responsible for this and sanctions will be applied to them," warned Oleg Kara, Director of the National Bureau of Statistics.

The census was not without incidents. In 30 cases, law enforcement officers had to go to the scribes and intervene in conflict resolution, since verbal and even physical aggression was used against people who were collecting data.

"Being put out the door is a common thing. There were situations when they grabbed our hands, tried to pull, push, set dogs on us. They said that we were specifically collecting information on the eve of the elections. There was a lot of misinformation related to the war. They said that we were preparing for war, otherwise why would we need to collect all this data," the scribes said.

The authorities say that the collected data will help to develop public policy more accurately and effectively in the coming years.

"The data obtained will help us to better design infrastructure, modernize education, improve social and medical services and make decisions based on people's needs," Oleg Kara concluded.

Recall that the population and housing census was conducted in Moldova from April 8 to July 7 this year and was the first census conducted in digital format. More than 4 thousand scribes worked on data collection, who entered information about people and real estate into special tablets. The cost of the census is estimated at 370 million lei (approximately 20 million euros), 329 of which are budgetary, and another 40 million were allocated by the European Union.

As reported by EADaily, within the framework of the Moldovan population census, when identifying their nationality, residents of the republic were required to call themselves Romanians. According to the authorities, "this will help speed up the process of the country's admission to the European Union." At the same time, the latest opinion poll showed that only 11% of Moldovans feel like Romanians, and slightly more than 30% call the Moldovan language Romanian.