Almost 50 towns in Romania lost over 20% of their population between 1990 and 2012, according to a Government analysis.

Industrial cities such as Medias, Resita, Hunedoara, and Petrosani are among those who saw some of the steepest population drops, reports local Profit.ro. The population drop also occurred in touristic towns such as Brasov, Predeal, Sinaia, Azuga, and Sighisoara.

Moreover, some 170 large villages lost 30-50% of their inhabitants.

Cities and villages shrunk as a large number of Romanians left to work in other countries. The Government now wants to reclassify cities and villages, in order to better direct money for their developments. This would be the first reclassification in the last 25 years.

editor@romania-insider.com