Moldova is divided administratively into two levels:

  • First level:
  • 32 districts or raions ()
  • 3 municipalities (municipii)—specifically Chișinău, Bălți, and Bender
  • 2 autonomous territorial units: Gagauzia and Left Bank of the Dniester (de facto Transnistria, which is not under control of the government of Moldova)
  • Second level:
  • Villages (); two or more villages can form together a commune ()
  • Sectors<!--Mentioned on the official website, but no examples ever given-->
  • 10 municipalities (municipii)
  • Cities and towns

thumb|324x324px|right|Current administrative divisions of Moldova

Localities

thumb|331x331px|Detailed map of Moldovan administrative divisions

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. 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).

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.

  • Districts (32):

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Name of district!!District seat!!President!!Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)!!Population<br />(2024)

|-

| Anenii Noi||Anenii Noi||Vladimir Vâzdoagă||align="right" |  887.6|| align="right" |57,687|| align="right" |  65.0|| align="right" |45

|-

| Basarabeasca||Basarabeasca|| Natalia Cara||align="right" |294.5|| align="right" |14,914|| align="right" |  50.6|| align="right" |10

|-

| Briceni||Briceni||Efimia Bendulac||align="right" |814.4|| align="right" |46,894|| align="right" |  57.6|| align="right" |39

|-

| Cahul||Cahul||Avram Micinschi||align="right" |1,545.3|| align="right" |72,775|| align="right" |  47.1|| align="right" |55

|-

| Cantemir||Cantemir||Ion Balan||align="right" |868.7|| align="right" |33,181|| align="right" |  38.2|| align="right" |51

|-

| Călărași||Călărași||Ilie Rău||align="right" |753.5|| align="right" |43,864|| align="right" |  58.2|| align="right" |44

|-

| Căușeni||Căușeni||Ilie Gluh||align="right" |1,185.2|| align="right" |57,261|| align="right" |  48.3|| align="right" |48

|-

| Cimișlia||Cimișlia||Ion Veveriță||align="right" |923.7|| align="right" |30,986|| align="right" |  33.5|| align="right" |39

|-

| Criuleni||Criuleni||Vitalie Rotaru||align="right" | 687.9|| align="right" |52,926|| align="right" |  76.9|| align="right" |43

|-

| Dondușeni||Dondușeni||Anastasie Pavlov||align="right" |644.1|| align="right" |28,108|| align="right" |  43.6|| align="right" |30

|-

| Drochia||Drochia||Andrei Marian||align="right" | 999.9|| align="right" |53,738|| align="right" |  53.7|| align="right" |40

|-

| Dubăsari||Cocieri||Grigore Policinschi||align="right" |309.2|| align="right" |21,781|| align="right" |  70.4|| align="right" |15

|-

| Edineț||Edineț||Oleg Scutaru||align="right" | 932.9|| align="right" |50,429|| align="right" |  54.1|| align="right" |49

|-

| Fălești||Fălești||Valeriu Muduc||align="right" |1,072.6|| align="right" |56,039|| align="right" |  52.2|| align="right" |76

|-

| Florești||Florești||Ștefan Paniș||align="right" |1,108.2|| align="right" |53,264|| align="right" |  48.1|| align="right" |74

|-

| Glodeni||Glodeni||Valeriu Țarigradschi||align="right" |  754.2|| align="right" |35,829|| align="right" |  47.5|| align="right" |35

|-

| Hîncești||Hîncești||Grigore Cobzac||align="right" |1,472.1|| align="right" |69,462|| align="right" |  47.2|| align="right" |63

|-

| Ialoveni||Ialoveni||Nicolae Andronache||align="right" |783.5|| align="right" |74,458|| align="right" |  95.0|| align="right" |34

|-

| Leova||Leova||Efrosinia Grețu||align="right" | 764.6|| align="right" |28,835|| align="right" |  37.7|| align="right" |40

|-

| Nisporeni||Nisporeni||Vasile Bîtcă||align="right" |  629.0|| align="right" |         36,413|| align="right" |         57.9|| align="right" |39

|-

| Ocnița||Ocnița||Ion Tomai||align="right" |  598.7|| align="right" |         31,610|| align="right" |         52.8|| align="right" |33

|-

| Orhei||Orhei||Ion Ștefârță||align="right" |1,228.3|| align="right" |         79,242|| align="right" |         64.5|| align="right" |75

|-

| Rezina||Rezina||Eleonora Graur||align="right" | 621.8|| align="right" |         30,243|| align="right" |         48.6|| align="right" |41

|-

| Rîșcani||Rîșcani||Ion Parea||align="right" | 936.0|| align="right" |         43,652|| align="right" |         46.6|| align="right" |55

|-

| Sîngerei||Sîngerei||Gheorghe Meaun||align="right" |1,033.7|| align="right" |55,933|| align="right" |54.1|| align="right" |70

|-

| Soroca||Soroca||Veaceslav Rusnac|| align="right" |1,040.4|| align="right" |58,609|| align="right" |56.3|| align="right" |68

|-

| Strășeni||Strășeni||Petru Voloșciuc||align="right" |729.1|| align="right" |61,362|| align="right" |84.2|| align="right" |39

|-

| Șoldănești||Șoldănești||Alexandru Relițchi||align="right" |598.4|| align="right" |25,394|| align="right" |42.4|| align="right" |33

|-

| Ștefan Vodă||Ștefan Vodă||Vasile Buzu||align="right" |998|| align="right" |62,072||align="right" |62.2||align="right" |26

|-

| Taraclia||Taraclia||Vasile Plagov||align="right" |673.9|| align="right" |         26,435|| align="right" |         39.2|| align="right" |26

|-

| Telenești||Telenești||Boris Burcă||align="right" |848.6|| align="right" |         41,452|| align="right" |         48.8|| align="right" |54

|-

| Ungheni||Ungheni||Iurie Toma||align="right" |1,082.6|| align="right" |         75,804|| align="right" |         70.0|| align="right" |74

|}

  • District-level municipalities (3):

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Municipality !!Mayor!!Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)

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. <li value=13> 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
  14. Telenești
  15. Ungheni

Southern Development Region

  1. <li value=28> Basarabeasca
  2. Cahul
  3. Cantemir
  4. Căușeni
  5. Cimișlia
  6. Leova
  7. Ștefan Vodă
  8. Taraclia
  9. Gagauzia

Previous divisions

Counties (1998-2003)

thumb|200px|Former counties of Moldova.

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:

;Cities

  • Bălți
  • Cahul
  • Chișinău
  • Dubăsari
  • Orhei
  • Rîbnița
  • Soroca
  • Tighina
  • Tiraspol
  • Ungheni

;Districts

  • Anenii Noi
  • Basarabeasca
  • Brinceni
  • Cahul
  • Camenca
  • Cantemir
  • Căinari
  • Călărași
  • Căușeni
  • Ceadîr-Lunga
  • Cimișlia
  • Comrat
  • Criuleni
  • Dondușeni
  • Drochia
  • Dubăsari
  • Edineț
  • Fălești
  • Florești
  • Glodeni
  • Grigoriopol
  • Hîncești
  • Ialoveni
  • Leova
  • Nisporeni
  • Ocnița
  • Orhei
  • Rezina
  • Rîbnița
  • Rîșcani
  • Sîngerei
  • Slobozia
  • Soroca
  • Strășeni
  • Șoldănești
  • Ștefan Vodă
  • Taraclia
  • Telenești
  • Ungheni
  • Vulcănești

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.

See also

  • ISO 3166-2:MD, ISO subdivision codes for Moldova

References

  • Moldovan Ministry of Local Public Administration
  • Law No. 764-XV/2001 on the administrative organization of the Republic of Moldova available on Wikisource.
  • Modification 37-XV-14.02.2003
  • Modification 124-XV-18.03.2003
  • Moldovan Law 431-XIII from April 19, 1995, , no. 31-32/340, June 9, 1995