Geography of Transnistria - Demographics

Demographics

In 2004, Transnistrian authorities organized a separate census from the 2004 Moldovan Census.

In total, in the areas controlled by the PMR government, there are 555,347 people, including 177,785 Moldovans (32.10%), 168,678 Russians (30.35%), 160,069 Ukrainians (28.81%), 13,858 Bulgarians (2.50%), 4,096 Gagauzians (0.74%), 507 Roma (0.09%), 1,259 Jews (0.23%), 1,791 Poles (0.32%), and 27,454 others (4.94%).

Of these, 439,243 live in Transnistria itself, and 116,104 live in localities controlled by the PMR government, but formally belonging to other districts of Moldova (the city of Bender (Tighina), the communes of Proteagailovca, Gîsca, Chiţcani, Cremenciug, and village of Roghi of commune Molovata Nouă).

Moldovans are the most numerous ethnic group, representing an overall majority in the two sub-districts in the central Transnistria (Dubăsari sub-district, 50.15%, and Grigoriopol sub-district, 64.83%), a 47.82% relative majority in the northern Camenca sub-district, and a 41.52% relative majority in the southern (Slobozia sub-district). In Râbniţa sub-district they are a 29.90% minority, and in the city of Tiraspol, they constitute a 15.24% minority of the population.

Russians are the second numerous ethnic group, representing a 41.64% relative majority in the city of Tiraspol, a 24.07% minority in Slobozia, a 19.03% minority in Dubăsari, a 17.22% minority in Râbniţa, a 15.28% minority in Grigoriopol, and a 6.89% minority in Camenca.

Ukrainians are the third numerous ethnic group, representing a 45.41% relative majority in the northern Râbniţa sub-district, a 42.55% minority in Camenca, a 32.97% minority in Tiraspol, a 28.29% minority in Dubăsari, a 23.42% minority in Slobozia, and a 17.36% minority in Grigoriopol.

Bulgarians are the fourth largest ethnic group in Transnistria, albeit much less numerous than the three larger ethnicities. Most Bulgarians in Transnistria are Bessarabian Bulgarians, descendants of expatriates who settled in Bessarabia in the 18th–19th century. The major centre of Bulgarians in Transnistria is the large village of Parcani, which has an absolute Bulgarian majority and a total population of around 10,000.

In Bender (Tighina) and the other non-Transnistria localities under PMR control, ethnic Russians represent a 43.43% relative majority, followed by Moldovans at 26.15%, Ukrainians at 17.08%, Bulgarians at 2.89%, Gagauzians at 1.03%, Jews at 0.34%, Poles at 0.17%, Roma at 0.13%, and others at 7.78%.

At the census of 1989, the population was 679,000 (including all the localities in the security zone, even those under Moldovan control). The ethnic composition of the region has not been stable in recent history, with the most notable change being the decreasing share of Moldovan and Jewish population segments and increase of the Russian. For example, the percentage of Russians grew from 13.7% in 1926 to 25.5% in 1989 and further to 30.4% in 2004, while the Moldovan population decreased from 44.1% in 1926 to 39.9% in 1989 and 31.9% in 2004. Only the proportion of Ukrainians remained reasonably stable – 27.2% in 1926, 28.3% in 1989 and 28.8 in 2004.