There are 162.3 thousand registered citizens with disabilities in Moldova; the average disability benefit covers the cost of living by only 80%.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over the year the number of disabled people in Moldova decreased by 3.4%. At the same time, the number of children with disabilities over the year increased from 10.6 thousand to 10.9 thousand people. The total number of people with disabilities is 6.5% of the population of Moldova, and children with disabilities make up 2% of the total number of children in the country. According to statistics, 56% of people with disabilities in Moldova have a severe form of disability, 28% have a moderate form, and 16% have a very severe disability. About 38% of people with disabilities are aged 30-45 years, 32.4% are 55-64 years old, 17.8% are over 65 years old, 7% are 16-29 years old and 5.7% are under 15 years old. In the structure of disabled people, the share of men is 52.8%. As of January 1, 2023, 64.8% of people with disabilities received disability pensions (105.2 thousand people), and 35.2% (57.1 thousand) received benefits (due to non-compliance with all conditions for the appointment of pensions). According to the National Social Security Agency, as of January 1, 2023, the average disability pension was 2104.3 lei (for comparison, the average pension in the country is 3156.4 lei). Depending on the degree of disability, the average size of the disability pension varied: 1572.2 lei for persons with a moderate degree of disability, 2260 lei for persons with a severe degree of disability and 2557 lei for persons with a very severe degree of disability. Compared to January 1, 2019, the average disability pension increased by 64.7%, while the average old-age pension in the country increased by 66% over the same period. For participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident and former conscripts, the average disability pension was 4903.6 lei and, respectively, 2207.5 lei. The average disability pension covers the minimum subsistence level (2628.4 lei per person per month) by an average of 80.1% - from 59.8% to 97.3%, depending on the degree of disability. At the same time, the minimum disability pension as of April 1, 2023 ranged from 1310.3 to 1965.5 lei, depending on the degree of disability, and it covered the cost of living only by 50-75%. As of January 1, 2023, the average amount of state social benefits for children with disabilities was 1,323 lei, increasing by 2.4 times compared to January 1, 2019. For people who care for persons with severe disabilities (12.7 thousand), a special allowance for care and support is provided - its average amount is 1818.7 lei. Disability benefits resulting from a person's participation in hostilities are received by 2.5 thousand people; its amount is about 1,215 lei. The statistics are presented on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is marked annually on December 3. // 01.12.2023 – InfoMarket.
