Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Moldova instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

be 2.8 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Moldova, that number is 18.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 9.2 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $15,700 as of 2023.

be 46.0% less likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 1.6% as of 2023.

Life

be 88.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Moldova, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 47.8% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Moldova, on the other hand, 11.6 children do as of 2022.

have 36.4% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Moldova, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Moldova, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Moldova: At a glance

Moldova is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 32,891 sq km. Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting the separatist region of Transnistria, composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians), but with a sizeable ethnic Moldovan minority. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a communist, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president and, by doing so, put into place a permanent government. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), iterations of which have acted as Moldova's governing coalitions since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012, holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government, and in March 2012 was finally able to elect an independent as president. As of late May 2013, the ruling coalition - comprised of two of the original AEI parties and a splinter group from a third - is called the Pro-European Coalition. In November 2013, the Moldovan Government initialed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU), advancing the coalition's policy priority of EU integration.
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