Women in Moldova live longer and are more educated but earn less than men
Women make up over half of the Republic of Moldova's population at 52.8%. They have a higher level of education than men; however, they remain underrepresented in management positions and earn lower salaries.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the highest share of women is recorded in Balti municipality - 54.8%, and the lowest in Leova districts - 50.4% and Cantemir - 50.5%.
At the locality level, in the village of Pervomaiscoe in the Drochia district, women categorically dominate - 56.9%, while in the village of Cobusca Veche in the Anenii Noi district, the situation is the opposite, here men predominate - by 59.1%.
Statistical data show that women are more numerous, especially among the elderly population. At the beginning of 2025, there were over 1,276,000 women and over 1,105,000 men in the Republic of Moldova, which means that for every 100 women, there were only 87 men.
However, among children, the situation is the opposite: in the age group 0 - 14 years, there are 106 boys for every 100 girls.
Women live longer than men
Statistics also show a significant difference in terms of life expectancy. In 2024, life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years for women and 67.6 years for men, which means that women live on average 8.8 years longer.
The difference is mainly explained by the higher premature mortality among men, especially during the active working period.
Women - higher level of education, but fewer management positions
According to NBS data, women aged 25 to 64 have higher educational attainment than men.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 28.1% of women had higher education in 2024, compared to 20.4% of men.
Most female students choose fields such as the educational sciences, social sciences, philology, public services, or economics, while men are more likely to focus on engineering, IT, security, or sports.
Most women work in the service sector, where they represent 60.6% of employees. They predominate in fields such as education, health and social assistance, financial intermediation and insurance, and accommodation and public catering.
Despite their higher level of education, women continue to earn less than men by almost 17%. In 2024, the average gross salary was 12,787 lei for women and 15,335 lei for men.
Thus, women earned 16.6% less, with an average difference of approximately 2,548 lei.
At the same time, despite their active participation in the labor market, women are less represented in decision-making positions. Thus, in 2024, only 44.8% of leaders were women.
However, the political representation of women is relatively high: at the end of 2025, there were 40 female deputies in Parliament, representing 39.6% of the total, above the European and global averages.
The majority of pensioners are women
Women are also the majority among pension beneficiaries. On January 1, 2026, out of the 671.7 thousand pensioners, 62.5% were women.
However, women's pensions remain lower: the average pension for women is 4,082 lei, compared to 5,013 lei for men.
Another worrying reality highlighted by statistics is that women continue to be the main victims of domestic violence.
According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2025, about 12.1 thousand victims of crimes were registered, of which 45.9% were women. In the case of domestic violence crimes, however, the share of women is much higher: almost seven out of ten victims of these acts were women.
