Ialoveni District

At 95.1 inhabitants per square kilometer, Ialoveni is Moldova's most densely populated district—the suburban spillover zone where Chișinău's growth meets affordable land. The 2024 census recorded 74,500 residents, a 12.9% decline from 2014 but less severe than other districts, suggesting the capital's gravitational pull retains population here even as it drains more distant areas. Costești village, at 8,427 people, ranks as the Central region's largest.

The density supports economic diversity. Among 19,802 registered businesses, the wine industry dominates—literally underground. Miliștii Mici holds the Guinness record for Europe's largest wine collection: over 2 million bottles aging in 250 kilometers of galleries (120 km currently in use). This single complex, more extensive than many urban subway systems, transforms industrial-scale wine storage into a tourism asset. Construction, food processing, and light industry cluster here, exploiting proximity to the capital's markets while avoiding its real estate costs.

By 2026, Ialoveni's young demographic profile—the highest share of population below working age in Moldova—could become either an asset or a liability. If the district captures overflow from Chișinău's expansion, the young population finds local employment. If Chișinău's growth stalls or EU migration accelerates, the same young population becomes an exodus-in-waiting. The 60.4% marriage rate, Moldova's highest, suggests households are forming here—betting on a future that remains contingent on capital city dynamics.