Romania's resident population decreases to 19,036,031 inhabitants, as of 1 January 2025, while ageing phenomenon heightens

Romania's resident population decreased by 31,545 people as of 1 January 2025, compared to the beginning of the previous year, reaching 19,036,031 inhabitants, while the ageing phenomenon continues to heighten, with a ratio of 130 elderly people for every 100 young people under the age of 15, according to data the National Institute of Statistics (INS) published on Friday.

According to official statistics, the main cause of the population decline was the negative natural increase (the difference between the number of live births and deaths), which stood at minus 101,800 people, agerpres reports.

As of 1 January 2025, the urban resident population was 9.768 million, down 1.3% compared to the same period in 2024.

Likewise, the female population during the reference period stood at 9.777 million, marking a 0.2% decrease compared to the previous year.

INS data also reveal that the demographic ageing process has deepened, with the proportion of elderly people (aged 65 and over) continuing its upward trend. Thus, compared to 1 January 2024, this share increased by 0.3 percentage points (from 20% to 20.3% as of 1 January 2025).

At the same time, the share of the population aged 0-14 in the total population fell from 15.9% in January 2024 to 15.6% in 2025, while the demographic ageing index rose from 125.8 to 130 elderly people per 100 young people (as of 1 January 2025).

Meanwhile, the demographic dependency ratio remained unchanged at 56.1 young and elderly people per 100 working-age adults at the beginning of the year.

Regarding international migration, Romania recorded a positive net migration in 2024, with the number of immigrants exceeding that of emigrants by 58,800 people.

'Romania continued to be a country of immigration. Nevertheless, the net international migration, although positive, was lower than in previous years and did not manage to offset the negative natural increase (-102,000 people). As a result, as of 1 January 2025, Romania's resident population had decreased compared to the same date in the previous year,' the INS points out.

Throughout 2024, men accounted for the majority of both emigrants (57.6%) and immigrants (58.3%).