Romania reached its peak population in 1990 when the population was 24.49 million people. Since then, Romania has experienced a population decline that puts the population at about 19.24 million people for 2020. Romania’s population is expected to continue to shrink, reaching 11.88 million people by the end of the century.
Romania’s current population growth rate is -0.66%, meaning that the population decreased by about 126,866 people from 2019 to 2020. This is a combination of negative net migration and a fertility rate below the population replacement rate of 1.62 births per woman.
Between 2007 and 2015, about 3.5 million Romanians have gone abroad to escape the poverty and corruption in Romania. Many of those leaving Romania are highly educated and seeking better opportunities elsewhere. This greatly impacts Romania’s already struggling economy.
| Romania Population (as of 11/19/2024) | 18,974,081 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 19,015,100 |
| Births per Day | 495 |
| Deaths per Day | 706 |
| Migrations per Day | -78 |
| Net Change per Day | -289 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | -93,636 |
Net decrease of 1 person every 4.98 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 2.92 minutes | |
| One death every 2.03 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 18.47 minutes | |
| Net loss of one person every 4.98 minutes |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Bucharest | 1,877,155 |
| Sector 3 | 385,439 |
| Sector 6 | 367,760 |
| Sector 2 | 345,370 |
| Iasi | 318,012 |
| Cluj-Napoca | 316,748 |
| Timisoara | 315,053 |
| Craiova | 304,142 |
| Constanta | 303,399 |
| Galati | 294,087 |
Romania's borders encapsulate a total of 92,046 square miles (238,931 square kilometers) of area. When calculated with the current population numbers, we find a population density of approximately 213 people per square mile (82 people per square kilometer). This earns the country 96th rank in overall population density.
The capital of Romania is Bucharest and this city has a population of 1,877,155 individuals. The World Factbook explains that a fairly even population distribution can be found throughout most of the country.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19,015,100 | -0.5% | 83 | 67 | 128 |
| 2023 | 19,118,500 | -0.49% | 83 | 67 | 127 |
| 2020 | 19,392,500 | -0.56% | 84 | 64 | 124 |
| 2019 | 19,501,500 | -0.49% | 85 | 62 | 123 |
| 2018 | 19,597,900 | -0.46% | 85 | 61 | 122 |
| 2017 | 19,689,400 | -0.44% | 86 | 61 | 120 |
| 2015 | 19,871,000 | -0.56% | 86 | 59 | 119 |
| 2010 | 20,432,600 | -0.75% | 89 | 58 | 112 |
| 2005 | 21,213,400 | -0.77% | 92 | 50 | 105 |
| 2000 | 22,046,300 | -0.55% | 96 | 47 | 102 |
| 1995 | 22,657,700 | -0.25% | 98 | 41 | 97 |
| 1990 | 22,939,500 | 0.29% | 100 | 36 | 91 |
| 1985 | 22,605,800 | 0.4% | 98 | 33 | 84 |
| 1980 | 22,154,800 | 0.82% | 96 | 33 | 83 |
| 1975 | 21,268,100 | 1.23% | 92 | 33 | 80 |
| 1970 | 20,011,600 | 1.35% | 87 | 33 | 79 |
| 1965 | 18,713,100 | 0.43% | 81 | 31 | 76 |
| 1960 | 18,313,500 | 0.94% | 80 | 29 | 75 |
| 1955 | 17,475,300 | 1.28% | 76 | 29 | 71 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19,015,100 | -0.5% | 83 | 67 | 128 |
| 2025 | 18,908,600 | -0.5% | 82 | 69 | 128 |
| 2030 | 18,359,500 | -0.59% | 80 | 74 | 136 |
| 2035 | 17,794,400 | -0.62% | 77 | 77 | 142 |
| 2040 | 17,209,700 | -0.67% | 75 | 78 | 147 |
| 2045 | 16,620,300 | -0.69% | 72 | 79 | 150 |
| 2050 | 16,027,300 | -0.72% | 70 | 81 | 151 |
| 2055 | 15,416,600 | -0.77% | 67 | 86 | 154 |
| 2060 | 14,768,100 | -0.86% | 64 | 87 | 156 |
| 2065 | 14,110,700 | -0.91% | 61 | 89 | 158 |
| 2070 | 13,504,400 | -0.87% | 59 | 91 | 158 |
| 2075 | 12,962,600 | -0.82% | 56 | 92 | 163 |
| 2080 | 12,470,300 | -0.77% | 54 | 93 | 164 |
| 2085 | 12,019,800 | -0.73% | 52 | 94 | 164 |
| 2090 | 11,598,400 | -0.71% | 50 | 94 | 166 |
| 2095 | 11,185,500 | -0.72% | 49 | 97 | 166 |
As of early 2014, the population of Romania was around 21,595,302, a slight decrease from the estimated 21,668,721 in 2013 and from the 2011 population estimates when the figure stood at 21,801,942. Romania's population is apparently decreasing at a rate of over 0.32% per year. In 2018, this yearly loss rate rose to .50%, indicating a more dramatic decline over the last year. According to historical figures, Romania actually hit its population peak in the early 90s, when there were 23,372,101 people in Romania.
Romania is a small country that is constituted of 84.1% Ethnic Romanians from its total population while a small Hungarian minority makes up 5.4% of the population demographics.
The age structure of Romania is skewed heavily towards its inhabitants in the 25-54 year age group. They make up around 46.3% of the population. The younger generation in the 0-25 year age bracket also has a significant majority in the country with 24.95% of the population growing with them. These are encouraging numbers, which show that Romania has a thriving workforce and an upcoming generation available for its development, provided it can create suitable opportunities for its inhabitants to help develop it further in the long run. Moreover, the population of senior citizens in Romania (people 55 years and over) also make up a significant portion of the country's population at 27.8%. This population spread also shows that Romania has a very uniform distribution of its population in all age brackets except the 25-54 year olds.
The sex ratio is also uniquely uniform in Romania with the men and the women sharing almost equal numbers in the country. From 0-64 years old, the ratio is slightly tipped in favor of the males. There are 1.06 males for each female, but this changes to almost a 1:1 ratio when we look at the 55-64 year age structure. From 64 years and beyond, the sex ratio is skewed in favor of the women as the ratio then is 0.68 male per 1 female.
All in all, Romania has a roughly equal distribution of males and females in its population, which in turn is very evenly divided among its age groups. With suitable opportunities and economic growth, Romania can certainly develop itself more and enhance its image around the world. It is showing steady signs of improvement over the years, and with an able workforce available at its disposable, it can certainly become a country of much importance in the region.
The official language used is Romanian, with additional use of Hungarian and Romani in some communities.
In terms of religion, although the country is officially secular, over 80% of the population adhere to the Eastern Orthodox, with the Protestant and Roman Catholic sects both coming in with under 10% of the population.
Romania has a diverse and highly skilled labor force and has been doing very well in recent years- ranking as the 40th strongest economy in the world. In addition to their consistent economic growth domestically, Romania has also become a country sought after by foreign investors. The main exports from Romania include vehicles, machinery, chemicals, and electronic products. Their nominal GDP in 2018 was $240 billion US dollars.
Romania became an independent nation in 1877, after long being run by the Ottoman Empire. The country became a kingdom in 1881. In 1914, King Carol died, ending the country's alliance with Germany and Austria and Romania joined the Allied forces in World War I. At the end of the war, a peace agreement was made that almost doubled the population of Romania in 1918. An earthquake killed 1500 in the city of Bucharest in 1977. The rate of growth began declining from 1% around that time until Romania began having a negative growth rate in the early 1990s.