Population and Demographics of Romania
Population declining at 0.54% in 2024 · 19.98% aged 65 or older
Romania has 19.02 million residents in the 2024 estimate, and the current annual rate is -0.54% rather than a static population. The 2000-to-2024 series records a 13.7% decrease, which is more informative than a single annual rate alone. By 2050, the medium path points to 16.03 million, equivalent to a -15.7% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Romania
Since 2000, Romania's population has fallen from 22.046M to 19.015M, a net shift of about 3.03 million. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 16.027M, about 15.7% below the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
The 2024 age structure gives Romania a maturing population profile. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close at 15.72% and 19.98%, while 64.30% are 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Romania a female share of 51.6% and a male share of 48.4%. Females exceed males by 3.2 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 51.6% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48.4% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Romania's -0.54% annual change in 2024 sits beside fertility of 1.7 children per woman, in a structure where 64.30% are working age and 19.98% are 65 or above.
From 2000 to 2024, Romania's population moved -13.7%, and the 2050 medium path differs from 2024 by -15.7%; interpreting the components of that change requires evidence not supplied by the aggregate series.
2024 estimate for Romania. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Romania vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, Romania's annual population change was lower than the global pace, fertility was below the world level, and its population was older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Romania | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.54% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.7 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 43 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The table is built for like-for-like comparison, using 2024 values from a single harmonized source context linked to UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Key Takeaways
At 19.015M, the 2024 population is paired with an annual change rate of -0.54%.
The 2024 age structure is 15.72% under 15, 64.30% aged 15 to 64 and 19.98% aged 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 51.6% female and 48.4% male.
By 2050, the medium projection is 16.027M, differing from 2024 by roughly 2.99 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Romania?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Romania is 19,015,088 people.
Is the population of Romania growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Romania's population is declining, with annual change of -0.54%.
What percentage of the population of Romania is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 19.98% of Romania's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Romania in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Romania's 2050 population at 16,027,266.
What is the fertility rate in Romania?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Romania is 1.7 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.