In 2025, residential construction represented only 1.4% of Moldova’s GDP, compared to 3% in Romania and 5% on average across the European Union. This is according to an analysis of Moldova’s real estate market conducted by economic expert Veaceslav Ioniță.

“Moldova invests two times less than Romania and more than three times less than the European Union average in residential construction. This indicates that the sector is facing serious challenges and that urgent measures are needed to unblock the real estate market,” the expert concluded.

According to the analysis, while around 70 years ago an average of 40 square meters of housing per 100 inhabitants was commissioned annually, by 2025 this figure had dropped to 10 square meters. In the first quarter of 2026, it fell further to just 7 square meters per 100 inhabitants—the lowest level ever recorded.

Veaceslav Ioniță also highlighted that Chișinău’s real estate market has collapsed over the past three years. While approximately 8,000 apartments were commissioned annually in the 1980s and around 6,700 apartments in 2021, the annualized figure for the first quarter of 2026 dropped to roughly 1,000 apartments.

Over the past three years, only about 4,500 apartments have been put into operation—fewer than in 2023 alone, when approximately 4,900 apartments were completed.

The expert also noted an unusual shift in the geographical distribution of residential construction. Although Chișinău accounted for about 85% of the total value of residential construction and 70% of the total residential floor area built over the past 15 years, the area of housing commissioned outside the capital has now exceeded that within the municipality, a situation rarely seen before.

According to Veaceslav Ioniță, unless measures are introduced to simplify the authorization and commissioning processes for residential projects, the decline in residential construction is likely to continue, worsening the shortage of new housing and deepening the difficulties faced by the sector.