Statistics office: Romania spent 1.9% of GDP on environmental protection in 2024

Romania allocated 1.9% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to environmental protection in 2024, the equivalent of RON 28 billion (some EUR 5.6 billion), according to data published on Friday, October 24, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and quoted by Agerpres.

The largest share of spending went to waste recovery, material reuse, and resource-saving activities carried out by specialized producers, which accounted for 70.2% of expenditures in this category, or RON 10.6 billion. Public administration spending on “air and climate” followed, representing 39.5% of the expenditures in that field and 84.5% of the total national spending for air and climate protection.

Overall, spending on air and climate protection reached RON 6.6 billion in current prices last year, Agerpres reported.

The most significant investments were recorded in wastewater and water resource management projects by public authorities, accounting for 66.9% of total expenditures in this segment.

In 2024, investments made up 26.3% of all national environmental protection expenditures. Public administration held the largest share of these investments (50.3%), followed by non-specialized producers (37.1%) and specialized producers (12.6%).

Non-specialized producers recorded the highest environmental spending in the manufacturing industry (48.5%), followed by water capture, treatment, and distribution (21.1%), and electricity, heat, gas, and hot water production and supply (16.6%).

Throughout 2024, the largest environmental protection investments were made in the “wastewater and water resources” sector, totaling approximately RON 4 billion, followed by “waste recovery and material reuse,” which received RON 1.8 billion in current prices.

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