For the first time, local public authorities in the Republic of Moldova will be able to plan their budgets based on updated population dataFor the first time, local public authorities in Chisinau, Balti and Ialoveni will be able to plan their budgets based on updated population data. The data refer to the key demographic trends that take place in these localities: population structure, fertility, the number of working age people, migration, intergenerational relations etc. The information is contained in a series of demographic analyzes carried out by the Independent Analytical Center "Expert-Group", with the support of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Moldova.
Thus, the analysis of the demographic situation of Chisinau municipality revealed that the fertility rate in this region is extremely low - a woman of childbearing age has 1.27 children, which attests the existence of several barriers in realizing people's fertility desire. "Having access to such records, authorities can develop policy measures and targeted actions to improve the situation, such as supporting women and men to have the number of children they want, including by prioritizing investments in childcare services and family-friendly policies" , the study shows.
One of the main conclusions concerning the municipality of Balti shows that approximately 6 out of 10 inhabitants are of working age. In this sense, the full employment of people in the labor field could contribute to the socio-economic development of the locality.
At the same time, in Ialoveni district, the number of people living in this region has decreased by more than 10,000 in the last 7 years. The main cause is external migration, especially of the young population. The authors recommend increasing the salaries, but also establishing a level of the minimum wage, which corresponds to the current economic realities.
The three analyzes were carried out as part of the UNFPA Demographic Resilience Program which aims to support and develop the capacities of countries in the region, including the Republic of Moldova, to develop evidence-based policies and national programs aimed to to respond to demographic trend and strengthen human capital.
"Through the Demographic Resilience program to which the Republic of Moldova is a part, UNFPA supports the Government and local public authorities to have access to reliable data, to better understand demographic trends. Having acces to this data, they LPAs can adjust public budgets and identify measures to adapt to the demographic crisis to fully capitalize on the country's economic and human potential", said Nigina Abaszada, UNFPA Moldova Resident Representative.
In 2023, UNFPA will launch the demographic analysis for UTA Gagauzia, which was already developed this year, and plans to develop similar demographic profiles for each district in the Republic of Moldova.
The analyzes were carried out based on the revised population and migration data at the territorial level estimated by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022 and the data of the Generations and Gender Study (GGS).
