Economy - overview:
Despite recent progress, Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe. With a moderate climate and productive farmland, Moldova's economy relies heavily on its agriculture sector, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, wheat, and tobacco. Moldova also depends on annual remittances of about $1.5 billion - more than 20% of GDP - from the roughly one million Moldovans working in Europe, Russia, and other former Soviet Bloc countries.With few natural energy resources, Moldova imports almost all of its energy supplies from Russia and Ukraine. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy is underscored by a more than $6 billion debt to Russian natural gas supplier Gazprom, largely the result of unreimbursed natural gas consumption in the breakaway region of Transnistria. Moldova and Romania inaugurated the Ungheni-Iasi natural gas interconnector project in August 2014. The 43-kilometer pipeline between Moldova and Romania, allows for both the import and export of natural gas. Several technical and regulatory delays kept gas from flowing into Moldova until March 2015. Romanian gas exports to Moldova are largely symbolic. Moldova plans to build a pipeline connecting Ungheni to Chisinau, bringing the gas to Moldovan population centers. Moldova also seeks to connect with the European power grid by 2022.The government's stated goal of EU integration has resulted in some market-oriented progress. Moldova experienced better than expected economic growth in 2014 due to increased agriculture production, to economic policies adopted by the Moldovan government since 2009, and to the receipt of EU trade preferences. During fall 2014, Moldova signed an Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU, connecting Moldovan products to the world’s largest market. Still, a $1 billion asset-stripping heist of Moldovan banks in late 2014 delivered a significant shock to the economy in 2015; a subsequent bank bailout increased inflationary pressures and contributed to the depreciation of the leu and a minor recession. Moldova’s growth has also been hampered by endemic corruption, which costs the country 8-13% of its annual GDP, and Russian restrictions on imports of Moldova’s agricultural products. The government’s push to restore stability and implement meaningful reform led to the approval in 2016 of a $179 million three-year IMF program focused on improving the banking and fiscal environments, along with additional assistance programs from the EU, World Bank, and Romania.Over the longer term, Moldova's economy remains vulnerable to corruption, political uncertainty, weak administrative capacity, vested bureaucratic interests, energy import dependence, Russian political and economic pressure, heavy dependence on agricultural exports, and unresolved separatism in Moldova's Transnistria region.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$20.07 billion (2017 est.)
$19.29 billion (2016 est.)
$18.5 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 148
$7.945 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
4% (2017 est.)
4.3% (2016 est.)
-0.4% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$5,700 (2017 est.)
$5,400 (2016 est.)
$5,200 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 167
18.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
18.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
18% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 90%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 19.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 23%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 0.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 51%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -83.1% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 14.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 21%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 64.8% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
vegetables, fruits, grapes, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, tobacco; beef, milk; wine
sugar processing, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles
4% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
1.295 million (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 33.7%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 12.1%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 54.2% (2016 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
4.3% (2017 est.)
4.2% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
20.8% (2013 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 4.2%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 22.1% (2014 est.)
26.8 (2015 est.)
26.8 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $2.796 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $3.027 billion
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
note: National Public Budget (2017 est.)
35.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-2.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
43.4% of GDP (2017 est.)
43.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
6.5% (2017 est.)
6.4% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
9% (31 December 2016)
19.5% (31 December 2015)
note: this is the basic rate on short-term operations
country comparison to the world: 36
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
10.3% (31 December 2017 est.)
14.28% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$1.958 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.406 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$4.695 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$3.529 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$2.197 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.942 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$9.723 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$50.47 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$65.29 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
-$314 million (2017 est.)
-$258 million (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$1.78 billion (2017 est.)
$1.547 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
foodstuffs, textiles, machinery
Romania 25.5%, Russia 11.6%, Italy 9.9%, Germany 6.3%, UK 5.7%, Belarus 5.2% (2016)
$4.01 billion (2017 est.)
$3.604 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles
Romania 13.7%, Russia 13.3%, China 9.8%, Ukraine 9.5%, Germany 7.9%, Italy 7%, Turkey 6.8% (2016)
$2.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$2.206 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$6.503 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$6.138 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$3.581 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$3.466 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$206.1 million (31 December 2016)
$197.1 million (31 December 2015)
country comparison to the world: 100
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar -
18.03 (2017 est.)
19.924 (2016 est.)
19.924 (2015 est.)
19.83 (2014 est.)
14.036 (2013 est.)