In the administrative-territorial structure of Moldova are 898 second-level administrative territorial units (cities/towns, sectors and villages/communes). The status of Chișinău, Bălți, and Tighina as municipalities and first-level territorial units of the country allows their suburb villages to have, when large enough, their own mayor and local council. By contrast, the villages that are administratively part of (some of) the other cities do not retain self-rule. • Districts (32): • District-level municipalities (3): • Autonomous territorial units (2): ¹ Tighina and the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester are under the control of the unrecognized separatist
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Transnistria). There, Tighina is known as
Bender.
Areas not under central government control •
Transnistria, which with the exception of six
communes (comprising a total of ten localities) corresponds to the geographic part of Moldova situated to the east of the
Dniestr (Romanian:
Nistru) river, is
de jure a part of Moldova, but in fact is governed by breakaway authorities (
see also: War of Transnistria). The city of
Dubăsari (geographically and administratively in Transnistria, and not in the
Dubăsari District), and six communes (administratively in the
Dubăsari District of Moldova, and not in the administrative definition of Transnistria), all controlled by the central authorities (except the village of
Roghi in commune
Molovata Nouă, which is controlled by Tiraspol), form the northern part of the
security zone set at the end of the war. •
Tighina municipality (the city itself, plus the commune
Proteagailovca), and three communes (five localities) of
Căușeni District (
Gîsca,
Chițcani, and
Cremenciug) are
de facto controlled by the breakaway regime of Transnistria. Together with the commune
Varnița of
Anenii Noi District and the commune
Copanca of
Căușeni District under Moldovan control, these localities form the southern part of the security zone set at the end of the war. The city of Tighina has both a Moldovan police force (mostly symbolic) and a Transnistrian
militsiya force (practically in charge in most instances). In Transnistria, Tighina is known as
Bender.
Population • The smallest entity electing a mayor is the commune of
Salcia, in
Taraclia District (population 182 in 2024). • The largest entity is the municipality of
Chișinău, electing a mayor for 720,128 inhabitants; the city of Chisinau itself has 567,038 inhabitants. • As of 2025, Moldova has 893 level 1 local governments (UAT 1) following two voluntary amalgamations during 2025.
Duplicate names There are 147 settlement names shared by multiple localities in Moldova. Most notable cases includes these: • A town
Mărculești, and a different commune
Mărculești, both situated in the
Florești District • A city
Dondușeni, and a different commune
Dondușeni, both situated in the
Dondușeni District • A city
Drochia, and a different commune
Drochia, both situated in the
Drochia District • A town
Costești, in
Rîșcani District, with a population of 2,247 (4,109 with 4 suburb villages), the 8th smallest city in Moldova, and a commune (village)
Costești, in
Ialoveni District, population 11,128, the 2nd largest village in Moldova • A town
Cornești, in
Ungheni District, and a different village
Cornești in the same Ungheni District, and also a village Cornești in Hîncești District • etc. ==Regions==