Browse a full set of economic indicators

Romania

Includes Romania real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Romania economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Romania best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Semi-presidential republic

Capital City: Bucharest

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank National Bank of Romania
Currency Lei (RON)
International Reserves USD 51.91 billion (2021)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2022
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 287.28 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) USD 653.90 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2017 7.3%
2018 4.5%
2019 4.1%
2020* -3.9%
2021* 7%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 14,863.89 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP per capita – PPP USD 33,833.10 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.45% (2021 estimate)
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 4.3%
industry: 28.2%
services: 57.8%
(2020 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) 0.5% (2019)

OECD, retrieved January 2022
Inflation 2017 1.3%
2018 4.6%
2019 3.8%
2020* 2.6%
2021* 4.3%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2017 1.3%
2018 4.6%
2019 3.8%
2020* 2.6%
2021* 4.3%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings
Standard & Poor’s: BBB–

Moody’s: Baa3

​Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (January 2022)
Unemployment rate 2017 4.9%
2018 4.2%
2019 3.9%
2020* 5%
2021* 4.9%

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015 36.8%
2016 36.5%
2017 36.8%
2020* 49.8%
2021* 51.1%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015 –1.7%
2016 –1.5%
2017 –3.5%
2020* -8.3%
2021* -5.2%

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares USD 25.5 billion (2020)
World Bank / Market capitalization
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 37.3% (2020)
World Bank – World Development Indicators (updated Feb 2022)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.4% (2020)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.5% (2020)

Total exports USD 92.8 billion (2020 estimate)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Export commodities Cars and vehicle parts, insulated wiring, refined petroleum, electrical control boards, seats (2019)
Total imports USD 103.9 billion (2020 estimate)
Import commodities Cars and vehicle parts, crude petroleum, packaged medicines, insulated wiring, broadcasting equipment (2019)
Exports – major partners Germany 22%, Italy 10%, France 7% (2019)
Imports – major partners Germany 19%, Italy 9%, Hungary 7%, Poland 6%, China 5%, France 5% (2019)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -16.4 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
Current account balance by percentage of GDP -5.7% (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
FDI inflows 2019 USD 6.2 billion
2020 USD 5.8 billion
2021 USD 2.3 billion
FDI Outflows 2019 USD 379 million
2020 USD 363 million
2021 USD 202 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2018 USD 6.3 million
2019 USD 3.4 million
2020 USD 1.3 million
2021 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

55 out of 190 countries

Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 91 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 147 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 157 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 46 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 25 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 61 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 32 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 1 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 19 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 56 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2020
Global competitiveness ranking 43 out of 141 (2019)
World Economic Forum / Global competitiveness ranking
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 47 / Score: 67.1 (Moderately Free)
The Heritage Foundation – 2022 Index of Economic Freedom

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 238,391 sq km

Total Population 1990 23.2 Million
2000 22.4 Million
2010 20.2 Million
2015 19.8 Million
2020 19.3 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 34.2%
1980 46.1%
2000 53%
2020 54.2%
Population median age 42.5 (2022 estimate)


CIA World Factbook / Population median age
Population growth rate -1.09% (2022 est.)
Life expectancy 75.8 years (2022 estimate)


CIA World Factbook / Life expectancy
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 4.1% (last available estimate, 2019)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 34.8 (last available estimate, 2019)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating Total score: 83/100

Status: Free

Political Rights: 35/40

Civil Liberties: 48/60 (2022)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 15.7%

Mobile: 117.4% (2020) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 78.5% (2020)

Language & Religon

Languages Romanian (official) 85.4%, Hungarian 6.3%, Romani 1.2%, other 1%, unspecified 6.1% (2011 est.)
Literacy Total population: 98.8%

Male: 99.1%

Female: 98.6% (2018)

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Religions Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 81.9%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformed and Pentecostal) 6.4%, Roman Catholic 4.3%, other (includes Muslim) 0.9%, none or atheist 0.2%, unspecified 6.3% (2011 est.)

World Rankings

Population 19.3 million
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 3.8 metric tons per capita (2018)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Romania

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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