Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe.[1] According to UN Development Program report 8.1% of the population was living below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day in 2000-2007 and 48.5% of the population was living below the national poverty line in 2000-2006.[2] As of 2009, Moldova's Human Poverty Index (HPI) is 5.9%.,[3] however significant improvement has been made and profits are rising.
Lack of good educational infrastructure meant it could not bypass traditional industrialization and launch into the knowledge economy revolution like India or Turkey.
For the same reason as above, lack of white collar workforce that could seek work in more prosperous countries and send back remittances, as happened in the case of Hungary, Poland, and Estonia.[4]
Child poverty is one of the most important problems in Moldova. Children living in rural areas have an extremely high risk of poverty especially if the family has three or more children. Children in poor households have a high risk of educational underachievement and a lacking access to the healthcare services.[6]