Romania is ranked 34th in the 2018 edition of Bloomberg’s Misery Index, which sums inflation and unemployment outlooks for 66 economies.

The country is heading in the wrong direction, according to the Bloomberg analysis, based on estimates for an increasing inflation rate in 2018, “after much more subdued price growth last year, pushing its misery down 16 notches, to No. 34. The National Bank of Romania is chasing inflation with interest-rate hikes, aiming to stay ahead of any overheating while growth surges on ballooning government spending.”

The National Bank (BNR) has recently revised upwards its estimation on the annual inflation rate at the end of this year, from 3.2% to 3.5%.

Just as in the 2017 index, Venezuela came at the top of 2018’s worst-off economies, where high inflation rates and unemployment result in dire situations. It is Venezuela’s fourth year as the world’s most miserable economy.

Thailand was the “least miserable” economy, followed by Singapore, Japan and Switzerland.

Romania’s annual inflation rate goes up to 4.3% in January

Romania’s economy grows faster than China’s

editor@romania-insider.com