Moldova

Languages:

The official language of Moldova is Romanian, and it is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Romanian is a Romance language that is closely related to Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Russian is also widely spoken, particularly among the older generation and in urban areas, but its use has declined since Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Gagauz, a Turkic language, is also spoken by a significant minority of the population in the autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Religion:

The majority of the population in Moldova practices Eastern Orthodox Christianity, particularly the Moldovan Orthodox Church, which is a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Moldovan Orthodox Church split from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992 and is recognized as the national church by the government of Moldova. Catholicism is also present in Moldova but represents a smaller percentage of the population. Other religions, such as Islam and Judaism, are also practiced in Moldova, but their numbers are relatively small.

Ethnic Groups:

Moldovan 75.1%, Romanian 7%, Ukrainian 6.6%, Gagauz 4.6%, Russian 4.1%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 0.8% (2014 est.)