Moldova is divided administratively into two levels:[1][2][3]

Localities

Moldova has a total of 1,682 localities; from these 982 are incorporated (de jure with 982 mayors and 982 local councils), including 53 cities/towns, other 13 cities with municipality status (see municipiu), and 916 rural localities.[5] They cover the entire area of the country. A number of villages are self-governed, while others 700 villages are too small to have a separate administration, and are part of either cities/towns/municipalities (41 of them) or communes (659). Few localities are inhabited.

Current divisions

In the administrative-territorial structure of Moldova are 898 second-level administrative territorial units (cities/towns, sectors and villages/communes).[6]

The status of Chișinău, Bălți, and Tighina as municipalities and first-level territorial units of the country allows their suburb villages to have, when large enough, their own mayor and local council. By contrast, the villages that are administratively part of (some of) the other cities do not retain self-rule.

Name of district District seat President Area
(km2)[7]		 Population
(2024)[7]		 Density
(2024)[7]		 Towns/
villages[8]
Anenii Noi Anenii Noi Vladimir Vâzdoagă   887.6 57,687   65.0 45
Basarabeasca Basarabeasca Natalia Cara 294.5 14,914   50.6 10
Briceni Briceni Efimia Bendulac 814.4 46,894   57.6 39
Cahul Cahul Avram Micinschi 1,545.3 72,775   47.1 55
Cantemir Cantemir Ion Balan 868.7 33,181   38.2 51
Călărași Călărași Ilie Rău 753.5 43,864   58.2 44
Căușeni Căușeni Ilie Gluh 1,185.2 57,261   48.3 48
Cimișlia Cimișlia Ion Veveriță 923.7 30,986   33.5 39
Criuleni Criuleni Vitalie Rotaru  687.9 52,926   76.9 43
Dondușeni Dondușeni Anastasie Pavlov 644.1 28,108   43.6 30
Drochia Drochia Andrei Marian  999.9 53,738   53.7 40
Dubăsari Cocieri Grigore Policinschi 309.2 21,781   70.4 15
Edineț Edineț Oleg Scutaru  932.9 50,429   54.1 49
Fălești Fălești Valeriu Muduc 1,072.6 56,039   52.2 76
Florești Florești Ștefan Paniș 1,108.2 53,264   48.1 74
Glodeni Glodeni Valeriu Țarigradschi   754.2 35,829   47.5 35
Hîncești Hîncești Grigore Cobzac 1,472.1 69,462   47.2 63
Ialoveni Ialoveni Nicolae Andronache 783.5 74,458   95.0 34
Leova Leova Efrosinia Grețu  764.6 28835   37.7 40
Nisporeni Nisporeni Vasile Bîtcă   629.0          36,413          57.9 39
Ocnița Ocnița Ion Tomai   598.7          31,610          52.8 33
Orhei Orhei Ion Ștefârță 1,228.3          79,242          64.5 75
Rezina Rezina Eleonora Graur  621.8          30,243          48.6 41
Rîșcani Rîșcani Ion Parea  936.0          43,652          46.6 55
Sîngerei Sîngerei Gheorghe Meaun 1,033.7 55,933 54.1 70
Soroca Soroca Veaceslav Rusnac 1,040.4 58,609 56.3 68
Strășeni Strășeni Petru Voloșciuc 729.1 61,362 84.2 39
Șoldănești Șoldănești Alexandru Relițchi 598.4 25,394 42.4 33
Ștefan Vodă Ștefan Vodă Vasile Buzu 998 62,072 62.2 26
Taraclia Taraclia Vasile Plagov 673.9          26,435          39.2 26
Telenești Telenești Boris Burcă 848.6          41,452          48.8 54
Ungheni Ungheni Iurie Toma 1,082.6          75,804          70.0 74
Municipality Mayor Area
(km2)[7]		 Population
(2024)[7]		 Density
(2024)[7]		 Towns/
villages
Chișinău Ion Ceban 571.6 720,128 1,259.8 35
Bălți Alexandr Petkov 77.6 94,546 1,218.3 3
Tighina none¹ 97 2
Name of autonomy Autonomy Seat Leader Area
(km2)[7]		 Population
(2024)[7]		 Density
(2024)[7]		 Towns/
villages
Găgăuzia Comrat Evghenia Guțul 1,848.5 103,668 56.1 35
Left Bank of the Dniester Tiraspol none¹ 4,163 147

¹ Tighina and the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester are under the control of the unrecognized separatist Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known as Bender.

Areas not under central government control

Population

Duplicate names

There are 147 settlement names shared by multiple localities in Moldova. Most notable cases includes these:

Regions

The first-level units are grouped into three regions:[9]

Northern Development Region

  1. Bălți Municipality
  2. Briceni
  3. Dondușeni
  4. Drochia
  5. Edineț
  6. Fălești
  7. Florești
  8. Glodeni
  9. Ocnița
  10. Rîșcani
  11. Sîngerei
  12. Soroca

Central Development Region

  1. Chișinău Municipality
  2. Anenii Noi
  3. Călărași
  4. Criuleni
  5. Dubăsari
  6. Hîncești
  7. Ialoveni
  8. Nisporeni
  9. Orhei
  10. Rezina
  11. Șoldănești
  12. Strășeni
  13. Tighina Municipality [10]
  14. Telenești
  15. Ungheni

Southern Development Region

  1. Basarabeasca
  2. Cahul
  3. Cantemir
  4. Căușeni
  5. Cimișlia
  6. Leova
  7. Ștefan Vodă
  8. Taraclia
  9. Gagauzia

Previous divisions

Counties (1998-2003)

Between 1998 and February 2003, Moldova was divided into 12 territorial units, including 1 municipality, 1 autonomous territorial unit, 1 territorial unit, and 9 counties (Romanian: județe; seats in brackets):

  1. Chișinău municipality, surrounded by Chișinău county, but different from it
  2. Bălți County (Bălți)
  3. Cahul County (Cahul)
  4. Chișinău County (Chișinău)
  5. Edineț County (Edineț)
  6. Lăpușna County (Hîncești)
  7. Orhei County (Orhei)
  8. Soroca County (Soroca)
  9. Tighina County (Moldova) (Căușeni)
  10. Ungheni County (Ungheni)
  11. Găgăuzia, autonomous territorial unit (Comrat)
  12. Left Bank of the Dniester, territorial unit (Tiraspol)

In October 1999, Taraclia County was split out from the Cahul County; it coincides with the current Taraclia District.

Cities and districts (1991-1998)

Between 1991 and 1998, Moldova was divided into 10 cities and 40 districts:[11]

Cities
Districts

2017 expansion

Besides Chișinău, Bălți, Tighina, Comrat, and Tiraspol, on 13 April 2017 eight more became municipalities: Cahul, Ceadîr-Lunga, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca, Strășeni, and Ungheni.[12]

See also

References

  1. Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 4 para. 1 Archived 2020-04-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
  2. Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 4 para. 4 Archived 2020-04-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
  3. Administrative-territorial organization of Moldova
  4. "Law no. 764-XV from 27.12.2001 on territorial administrative organisation of the Republic of Moldova, article 5 para. 2". Archived from the original on 2020-04-07.
  5. Clasificatorul unităţilor administrativ-teritoriale (CUATM) (in Romanian)
  6. Report on the Territorial Administrative Structure Options for the Republic of Moldova. March 2015
  7. "Rezultatele finale ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor 2024". Rezultatele finale ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor 2024 (in Romanian). 2026-02-27.
  8. "LP764/2001". www.legis.md.
  9. "Administrative-territorial organization of Moldova", moldova.md
  10. Tighina is under the control of the unrecognized separatist Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known as Bender.
  11. www.statoids.com
  12. LEGE Nr. 248 din 03.11.2016 pentru modificarea și completarea Legii nr. 764-XV din 27 decembrie 2001 privind organizarea administrativ-teritorială a Republicii Moldova Archived 2019-02-19 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)