Romania Population
Romania had an estimated population of 19,020,271 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 67th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.23% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.17% a year.
Romania at a glance
How Romania's population is changing
Romania's population is roughly stable: −0.17% a year, which works out to about −31,507 people per year, or −86 a day. Births (7.5 per 1,000) and deaths (12.8 per 1,000) alone would give −0.53% a year; net migration removes about 29,041 people a year (−0.15%). Roughly one in every 432 people on Earth lives in Romania.
Population of Romania since 1960
In 1960, Romania had 18,406,905 people. By 2025 that was 19,020,271 — almost unchanged. The population peaked in 1990 at 23,201,835 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1966 and 1976, when the population rose by 12%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18,406,905 | — |
| 1970 | 20,250,398 | +10.0% |
| 1980 | 22,207,282 | +9.7% |
| 1990 | 23,201,835 | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 22,442,971 | −3.3% |
| 2010 | 20,246,871 | −9.8% |
| 2020 | 19,265,250 | −4.8% |
| 2025 | 19,020,271 | −1.3% |
Romania from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Romania at about 5,500,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 18,908,655 in 2025 (3× 1800) and projects 10,768,185 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1991 at 22,947,416 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 5,500,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 7,997,430 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 11,005,350 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 16,397,275 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 22,046,264 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 18,908,655 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 16,027,269 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 12,962,628 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 10,768,185 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Romania
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 19,020,271. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bucharest | 1,909,536 | UN urban centre | 10.04% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Timişoara | 319,240 | UN urban centre | 1.68% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Cluj-Napoca | 310,650 | UN urban centre | 1.63% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Iaşi | 275,840 | UN urban centre | 1.45% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Constanţa | 268,757 | UN urban centre | 1.41% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Craiova | 251,285 | UN urban centre | 1.32% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Braşov | 226,778 | UN urban centre | 1.19% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Galaţi | 225,126 | UN urban centre | 1.18% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Ploieşti | 188,227 | UN urban centre | 0.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Oradea | 163,471 | UN urban centre | 0.86% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Romania compares
Romania has almost the same population as Senegal (18,931,966).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Romania | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #65 |  Chile | 19,859,921 | +4% | compare → |
| #66 |  Somalia | 19,654,739 | +3% | compare → |
| #68 |  Senegal | 18,931,966 | −0% | compare → |
| #69 |  Guatemala | 18,687,881 | −2% | compare → |
Compare Romania with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Romania
Land neighbours (5)
Ukraine 38,980,376 · 2.0× the population · compare
Hungary 9,514,251 · 2.0× smaller · compare
Serbia 6,549,143 · 2.9× smaller · compare
Bulgaria 6,433,302 · 3.0× smaller · compare
Moldova 2,360,527 · 8.1× smaller · compare
Romania's 5 neighbours together hold 63,837,599 people — 3.4× Romania's population. The most populous is Ukraine (38,980,376).
In its region
Romania is the 12th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 2.0% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Romania
Cities
Bucharest, Timişoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iaşi, Constanţa, Craiova, Braşov, Galaţi — all Romania's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Romania when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.