Languages spoken in Moldova
Europe · Capital: Chișinău · Population 2.7 million
The official language of Moldova is Romanian. An estimated 63% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.7 million people. After Romanian, the most widely spoken are Ukrainian at 14% and Bulgarian at 9.4%. Romanian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Romanian is also spoken in all two of its neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Moldova, and their shares add up to 89.4% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Moldova?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| RomanianIndo-European | 63% | Official | 1.7 million |
| UkrainianIndo-European | 14% | Spoken | 384,871 |
| BulgarianIndo-European | 9.4% | Spoken | 258,413 |
| RussianIndo-European | 3% | Spoken | 82,472 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Moldova?
The official language of Moldova is Romanian. Romanian is spoken by an estimated 63% of the population, or roughly 1.7 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Romanian in Moldova?
An estimated 63% of Moldova's 2.7 million people speak Romanian, which works out at roughly 1.7 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Moldova
- Capital
- Chișinău
- Population
- 2.7 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 33,846 km²
- Currency
- MDL
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- MD / MDA / 498
Which countries border Moldova?
Moldova shares a land border with two countries: Romania and Ukraine. Romanian, the most widely spoken language in Moldova, is also spoken in Romania and Ukraine.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.