Romania has 21.5 million inhabitants, but its young generations are becoming fewer and fewer
Published
On 1 July 2026, Romania had 21,557,600 inhabitants with domicile in the country. This is the provisional information published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The figure shows how many people officially live in the country, but it says nothing about their age or about what the population will look like in the coming years.
Specialists draw attention to the fact that the main problem is not the total number of inhabitants, but the structure of the population. The generation born in the 1960s, known as the "decree generation", was very numerous. These people are now reaching retirement age, and the question that arises is who will work and pay the contributions for them. The generations that came after the decree generation are smaller, because fewer children were born.
For Romania, this change has effects on the labour market, the pension system and the healthcare system. If the number of young people falls, it will be harder to meet workforce needs and to sustain public services. For this reason, many experts recommend that the state and society discuss policies early on for families, for birth rates and for attracting or keeping young people in the country.
In conclusion, INS data show that Romania has a population of over 21.5 million people, but its long-term development depends on how many children are born and how many young people choose to stay in the country. For this reason, the discussion about population must include not only the number of inhabitants, but also the future of the generations.
Sources: HotNews.ro
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