2024 Population and Housing Census: In Urban Areas, the Share of Family Households with Children Under 18 Was 50.1%, Compared with 43.1% in Rural Areas

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released the 13th set of final data from the 2024 Population and Housing Census (RPL 2024), this time focusing on the characteristics of households and family nuclei. According to the results of the 2024 Census:

Of the total 2,409.2 thousand people with usual residence, 2,386.4 thousand people (or 99.1% of the total population) lived in 1,006.8 thousand households, while 22.8 thousand people (0.9%) lived in collective living quarters;
Of the 1,006.8 thousand households, 651.4 thousand households (64.7%) were family households (households containing at least one family nucleus), comprising 682.4 thousand family nuclei;
95.4% of family households consisted of a single family nucleus;
Among households consisting of a single family nucleus, 80.1% were households formed by a couple with or without children;
Of the total 355.4 thousand non-family households, 94.0% were one-person households;
Of the total 682.4 thousand family nuclei, 42.4% were couples with children, 36.9% were couples without children, 17.8% were single mothers with children, and 2.9% were single fathers with children;
Of the total 651.4 thousand family households, 46.4% had children under the age of 18, while the average size of such a household was 4.0 people;
In urban areas, the share of family households with children under 18 was 50.1%, compared with 43.1% in rural areas, representing a difference of 7 percentage points.

“The latest set of data from the 2024 Population and Housing Census provides the Republic of Moldova with a stronger information base for understanding how families and households are changing, informing social policies and programmes, and supporting more inclusive and sustainable development. This is essential for responding to demographic changes and strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s long-term demographic resilience. As UNFPA, we remain committed to supporting the use of population data so that policies and investments are people-centred, evidence-based, and adapted to demographic realities,” said Aliona Cristei, Population and Development Programme Analyst at UNFPA Moldova.