Resource information
Moldovan GDP growth rose and the poverty
rate fell steeply following the end of the Russian financial
crisis in 1999. Since late 2002, GDP has continued to grow
vigorously, however there has been little progress in
reducing poverty. In short, GDP growth is no longer reducing
poverty. The national poverty rate is broadly stable while
the rural poverty rate is on a modest upward trend. Analysis
of data from the household budget surveys shows that the
decline in the national poverty rate stopped at the end of
2002, and that the rate has been broadly stable since. The
rural poverty rate has been on a modest upward trend; the
increase in poverty is concentrated among farmers, and to a
lesser extent, among rural pensioners. At the same time,
real incomes rose among rural wage earners. Real incomes
also rose among urban residents, and their poverty rate
continued to decline, as they benefited from the expansion
of the construction industry and from rising real wages in
construction, manufacturing, and public service.
