Romania Population

Romania has suffered one of Europe's sharpest population declines, driven by low fertility compounded by the mass emigration of millions of workers after it joined the European Union. The loss of so many young people has hollowed out the age structure and accelerated ageing. The country is a stark example of how free movement can reshape a nation's demographics.

With roughly 18.9 million people as of 2026, Romania ranks 69th in the world by population. A country of Eastern Europe, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. Population density stands at about 82 people for every square kilometre of land.

Romania's population has already passed its peak of about 23.0 million, reached around 1991. It now sits roughly 18% below that high point, and the UN projects about 16.1 million by 2050 and 10.8 million by 2100.

Half of Romania is currently younger than about 43, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 50, even as life expectancy improves from about 76 years. An older population gradually reshapes the labour force, pension systems and healthcare demand.

Fertility sits at about 1.71 births per woman, below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, so without migration the population would eventually shrink. Net outward migration also weighs on the total, with more people leaving than arriving.

All of this is a projection, not a prediction. The further out it runs the wider the plausible range becomes, which is why Romania's charts show a low-to-high band around the central line.