Editing Moldova (section)

=== Health and fertility ===
{{Further|Health in Moldova|Healthcare in Moldova}}{{Pie chart
| value1 = 58
| value2 = 15.8
| value3 = 13.9
| value4 = 7.5
| value5 = 4.8
| label1 = [[Cardiovascular disease|Diseases of the circulatory system]]
| label2 = [[Cancer|Cancerous tumours]]
| label3 = Other causes
| label4 = [[Gastrointestinal disease|Diseases of the digestive tract]]
| label5 = External causes
| caption = Structure of deaths by major classes of causes of death in 2022
}}Moldova provides [[Universal health care|universal healthcare]] through a [[mandatory health insurance]] scheme. According to the most recent 2022 official data, per 10,000 inhabitants there are 48.4 doctors and 91 units of average medical staff.<ref name="National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova" /> Approx. 53% of those aged 16 and over in urban areas described their own health as 'good' or 'very good', compared to approx. 33% of people of the same age in rural areas.<ref name="National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova" /> The country has 86 hospitals, 1,524 [[Pharmacy (shop)|pharmacies]] and branches, 12,600 physicians, 23,687 [[paramedic]]al personnel, and 17,293 [[hospital bed]]s. Moldova spends 6% of its annual GDP on health care, up from 4.9% in 2019.

As of 2022 the average life expectancy was 71.5 years (67.2 for males, and 75.7 for females), slightly lower than comparable countries such as [[Albania]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Latvia]], and Ukraine. The number of elderly people (aged 60 years and over) per 100 inhabitants in Moldova has increased year-on-year. The [[total fertility rate]] per woman in 2022 was 1.69, a fall from 1.78 in 2019, and below the replacement rate of 2.1. There were 10.6 [[Live birth rate|live births]] per 1,000 inhabitants in 2022, a drop from 12.2 in 2019, and 14.2 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, an increase from 13.7 in 2019 but a significant fall from 17.5 in 2019. [[Infant mortality]] per 1,000 live-births was 9.0, a slight increase on 8.7 in 2020.

The overall number of deaths in 2022 fell by 20.5% compared to 2021.<ref name="National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova" /> According to the National Agency for Public Health, the major causes of death in 2022 were [[Cardiovascular disease|diseases of the circulatory system]] (58%), [[cancerous tumour]]s (15.8%), [[Gastrointestinal disease|diseases of the digestive tract]] (7.5%), external causes (4.8%), and other causes (13.9%).<ref name="National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova" /> More specifically, the leading causes of death in 2019 were [[Coronary artery disease|Ischaemic heart disease]], strokes, [[hypertensive heart disease]], [[cirrhosis]] of the liver, and trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 December 2020 |title=Republic of Moldova data {{!}} World Health Organization |url=https://data.who.int/countries/498 |access-date=6 July 2023 |website=[[World Health Organization]] |language=en |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707162056/https://data.who.int/countries/498 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 19 December 2016, the Moldovan parliament approved raising the retirement age to 63 years<ref>{{cite web |last=CNBC |date=19 December 2016 |title=Europe's poorest nation passes IMF-backed retirement age increase |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/19/europes-poorest-nation-passes-imf-backed-retirement-age-increase.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803132504/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/19/europes-poorest-nation-passes-imf-backed-retirement-age-increase.html |archive-date=3 August 2017 |access-date=3 August 2017 |website=Cnbc.com}}</ref> from the current level of 57 for women and 62 for men, a reform that is part of a 3-year-old assistance programme agreed with the [[International Monetary Fund]]. The retirement age will be lifted gradually by a few months every year until it is fully in effect in 2028.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 2016 |title=Moldovan MPs approve IMF-backed retirement age increase |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-moldova-pensions-idUSKBN1481PE |access-date=3 August 2023 |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803180408/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-moldova-pensions-idUSKBN1481PE |url-status=live }}</ref>