Romania’s population drops by over 4 million in 35 years, analysis shows

Romania’s population has fallen by more than 4.16 million people over the past 35 years, driven mainly by emigration, according to an analysis published by the head of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), Tudorel Andrei, and quoted by Agerpres. External migration accounted for 63% of the decline, while negative natural growth represented 37%.

The analysis showed that between 1990 and 2024, more than 808,000 people permanently emigrated from Romania, while about 646,000 established residence in the country.

After a surge immediately following the 1989 revolution, departures fell for several years but began rising again after 2011, exceeding 30,000 in 2022 and reaching around 50,000 in 2024, Andrei said.

Migration patterns fluctuated over time, with positive migration balances recorded between 2012 and 2022, before returning to negative levels in 2023 and 2024, reducing the resident population by over 41,000 people. Most immigrants settling permanently in Romania came from the Republic of Moldova, while arrivals from Ukraine increased after the war, accounting for about 34,400 people in the 2011-2022 period, the same source explained.

Despite increasing immigration in recent years, demographic decline persisted. However, positive external migration between 2022 and 2024 almost offset the natural population decrease, keeping Romania’s resident population above 19 million.

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