Romania’s Economic Sentiment Indicator plunges to lowest post-pandemic level in July

Romania’s Economic Sentiment Indicator, or ESI, a composite indicator designed to track GDP growth calculated as a weighted average of the balances of replies to selected questions addressed to firms in five key economic sectors, plunged in July to 94.7 – the lowest level since January 2021, according to Eurostat.

Romania’s ESI dropped below the 100-point benchmark, which indicates balanced expectations, in May 2025 after nearly two years above the benchmark, in line with a broader pattern across the European Union. Romania’s sentiment indicator has dropped (marginally) below the EU average in July, for the first time after three years.