Rîbnița is situated in the northern half of Transnistria, on the left bank of the Dniester, and is separated from the river by a concrete dam.

On March 17, 1944, during World War II, the Nazis executed almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens at Rîbnița.

[citation needed] Other industries are also present in Rîbnița, including the oldest sugar plant in Transnistria (founded in 1898), an alcohol distillery, and a cement factory.

The city has a large railway station and a river port, as well as a supermarket owned by Sheriff.

According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, the city had 53,648 inhabitants,[7] including 11,235 Moldovans (20.94%), 24,898 Ukrainians (46.41%), 11,738 Russians (2.88%), 480 Poles (0.89%), 328 Belarusians, 220 Bulgarians, 166 Jews, 106 Germans, 96 Gagauzians, 71 Armenians, 38 Roma, and 4245 others and non-declared.