Who will remain? Population Decline in Romania

Abstract

Romania was among the last countries to join the European Union in 2007. This event accelerated the ongoing demographic changes in the country triggered by the fall of the communist regime. During the past three decades, intense migration outflows and declining fertility led to a significant reduction in the population, from 22.8 million in 1992 to 19.1 million in 2021, according to census data. This work aims to investigate this population decline, focusing on its dynamics, changes in the territorial population distribution, and structural features, by analysing time series and 2021 census data, whose definitive results were published in 2023, and integrated with Eurostat data. The main indicators of depopulation and population structure changes – including ageing – are estimated at the national and county levels (NUTS 3). The analysis also looks at territorial inequalities within the country and future projections. The results are helpful for addressing growing awareness of these ongoing changes’ social, political, economic, and cultural challenges.