A total of 189,783 babies were born in Romania in 2016, 11,240 less than in 2015, when the number went up to over 201,000, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS).

In 2016, the highest number of births was registered in August – over 19,600, while the lowest was reported for April, when only 13,276 babies were born.

However, the number of deaths was also 2% lower year-on-year in 2016, dropping from 291,697 in 2015 to 256,501 in 2016. Thus, Romania recorded a natural decline (the number of live births minus the number of deaths) of 66,718 people last year, higher than in the previous year.

March was the month when Romania recorded the highest number of deaths – almost 26,000, while the lowest number was reported for September.

The infant mortality dropped in 2016 when compared to 2015, the INS data shows. A total of 1,381 babies aged under 1 died in 2016, down from 1,503 the previous year.

A total of 15,284 babies were born in Romania in December last year, 3.4% fewer than in the same month of the previous year, when a total of 15,826 babies were born.

Romanians over 65 will represent 65% of the population in 2060

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com