Moldova Poverty Assessment

Despite decades of strong growth, Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe. As the EU opened accession negotiations with Moldova in December 2023, the country is looking for new ways to support its ambitions of faster convergence of incomes and standards of living. This report assesses Moldova's progress towards sustained poverty reduction only up to the period 2022. The report evaluates trends and drivers of poverty reduction and shared prosperity against the backdrop of macroeconomic developments. This report situates Moldova's progress relative to that of the EU-27 against the backdrop of the European Council opening EU accession negotiations with Moldova. It considers two periods: 2014-2018 and 2019-2022. The report provides an in-depth look at persistent structural problems that continue to impede poverty reduction, while shedding light on other vulnerabilities that have increased in prominence amidst recent crises