Population decline slows down significantly in Romania in August

The population decline has slowed down significantly in August this year, when compared to the same month in 2015, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). Moreover, the number of newborns has increased in August. A total of 19,603 babies were born during this month, 3,612 (22.3%) more than in August last year. Meanwhile, 19,804 people died the same month, up 509 year-on-year. Thus, Romania had a natural decline (the number of live births minus number of deaths) of 201 people in August 2016, significantly lower than the 3,284 registered in the same month of 2015. In the first eight months of this year, the natural decline was 45,900 people, almost 7% lower compared to the same period of 2015 (49,300), as both the number of births and the number of deaths declined. Over 123,000 babies were born between January and August, 4% fewer than in the same period of last year. Meanwhile, 169,000 people died, down 4.7% year-on-year. More than 203,000 babies were born in Romania in 2015, some 10% more compared to 2014. Last year was the second consecutive year when the number of births in the country increased, after reaching a record low of 176,000 in 2013. In 2014, the number of babies born in Romania was 185,000. Romania’s population declines by 13% since 1992 Romania’s resident population keeps decreasing while demographic aging deepens Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com