The number of elderly people in the Republic of Moldova is increasing. Maia Sandu: "We will continue to work for more inclusion"
At the beginning of 2023, almost 600 thousand people aged 60 and over lived in the Republic of Moldova, which constitutes 23.8% of the total population with usual residence. Among them, about 360 thousand were women, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The share of people aged over 60 is continuously increasing. In the last five years, the number of seniors in the 70-74 age group has increased by 8.5 percentage points. At the beginning of 2023, the population aging rate was 23.8%, which corresponds to a high level of demographic aging, the NBS report shows.
The authorities propose to simplify access to social, medical and cultural services for the elderly, said the head of state Maia Sandu on the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly, which is marked on October 1. In this regard, the Head of State recalled that in June of this year the National Program for Active and Healthy Aging was approved.
"We build a lasting society when we have a close and respectful connection between all generations. On International Day of the Elderly, I want us all to realize the richness of life experiences of older people - it represents a storehouse of lessons learned, history lived and wisdom gathered over the years. Let's encourage the new generations to learn from the experience of the elderly (...). We want their active involvement in the labor market and in the decision-making process at any level. We will continue to work for more inclusion, for an old age lived serenely, in better conditions, with respect and dignity", said the president.
According to the data of the National Social Insurance House, on January 1, 2023, the total number of pensioners was about 675 thousand people, of which 526.0 thousand (77.9% of all pensioners) were old-age pensioners.
The average amount of the old-age pension is 3164.9 lei, increasing by 21.9% compared to the previous year, and compared to the beginning of 2019, it has increased by 92.5%.
