If you lived in Moldova instead of Swaziland, you would:

Health

be 96.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 7.1 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 24.7% less likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 28.1% more spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Moldova spends $1,181 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 7.2 times more doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Moldova has 40.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 26.8% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Moldova scores 71 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 48.1% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Moldova, it is 14.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 95.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Moldova, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 37.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Swaziland, 53.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Moldova, however, that number is 33.6% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

make 2.1 times more money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $8,622 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 83.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Moldova, 19.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 64.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Moldova, on the other hand, 15.1 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 55.2% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Moldova, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 22.0% more likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Moldova, about 77.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 15.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 93% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 10.1% less on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 6.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 79.7% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Moldova, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 63.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Moldova, they kill 9.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 11.8 times more home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Moldova has 29.6 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 83.8% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Moldova withdraws 13% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 2.0 times more electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Moldova uses 2,412 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 12.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Moldova, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 3.9 times more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Moldova emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Moldova compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Moldova or Swaziland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.