Total population (thousands) in Romania
Romania: Total population (thousands) was 18,962 thousands in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
18,962 thousands
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
67th
of 233 countries
All-time high
22,953 thousands
in 1991
All-time low
18,962 thousands
in 2025
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Total population in Romania, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, total population in Romania stood at 18,962 thousands. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Romania peaked at 22,953 thousands in 1991 and was at its lowest, 18,962 thousands, in 2025.
Romania ranks 67th of 233 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Total population (thousands) in Romania, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 19,865 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 20,158 thousands | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 20,428 thousands | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 20,683 thousands | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 20,914 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 21,153 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 21,383 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 21,612 thousands | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 21,788 thousands | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 21,948 thousands | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 22,091 thousands | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 22,218 thousands | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 22,327 thousands | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 22,422 thousands | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 22,497 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 22,571 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 22,640 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 22,709 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 22,782 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 22,849 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 22,926 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 22,953 thousands | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 22,942 thousands | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 22,882 thousands | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 22,802 thousands | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 22,710 thousands | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 22,605 thousands | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 22,479 thousands | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 22,344 thousands | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 22,226 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 22,107 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 21,986 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 21,854 thousands | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 21,686 thousands | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 21,501 thousands | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 21,306 thousands | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 21,121 thousands | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 20,950 thousands | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 20,791 thousands | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 20,646 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 20,508 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 20,358 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 20,206 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 20,110 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 20,015 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 19,921 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 19,821 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 19,733 thousands | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 19,646 thousands | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 19,550 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 19,453 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 19,332 thousands | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 19,164 thousands | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 19,169 thousands | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 19,068 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 18,962 thousands | -0.6% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 18,962 thousands is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,084 thousands, 6.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Romania's 18,962 thousands is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6,353 thousands, 3.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20,993 thousands | 19,865 thousands | 21,948 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 22,511 thousands | 22,091 thousands | 22,849 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 22,687 thousands | 22,226 thousands | 22,953 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,395 thousands | 20,646 thousands | 22,107 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 19,987 thousands | 19,550 thousands | 20,508 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,191 thousands | 18,962 thousands | 19,453 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More population data for Romania
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.7777 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.7777 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 17,457 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.3241 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.8232 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.8% (2100)
- Population density 46.8 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 440,116 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Romania?
- Total population in Romania was 18,962 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 22,953 thousands in 1991.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,962 thousands in 2025.
- How does Romania rank for total population?
- Romania ranks 67th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Romania data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release