Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania
Romania: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 17.77 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania stood at 17.77 million people.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and up 62.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania peaked at 20.60 million people in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1.59 million people, in 1994.
Romania ranks 34th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 20.60 million people | — |
| 1992 | 14.28 million people | -30.7% |
| 1994 | 1.59 million people | -88.8% |
| 1995 | 9.35 million people | +486.7% |
| 1997 | 7.65 million people | -18.2% |
| 2006 | 9.09 million people | +18.9% |
| 2007 | 10.17 million people | +11.8% |
| 2008 | 11.66 million people | +14.7% |
| 2009 | 11.92 million people | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 11.40 million people | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 10.52 million people | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 10.66 million people | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 10.91 million people | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 11.43 million people | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 12.04 million people | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 13.48 million people | +11.9% |
| 2017 | 14.86 million people | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 15.74 million people | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 16.20 million people | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 16.57 million people | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 17.22 million people | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 16.79 million people | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 17.77 million people | +5.9% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 17.77 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.01 million people, 2.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Romania's 17.77 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.91 million people, 3.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +486.7% | 1.59 million people | 9.35 million people |
| 1994 | -88.8% | 14.28 million people | 1.59 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.60 million people | 20.60 million people | 20.60 million people | 1 |
| 1990s | 8.22 million people | 1.59 million people | 14.28 million people | 4 |
| 2000s | 10.71 million people | 9.09 million people | 11.92 million people | 4 |
| 2010s | 12.72 million people | 10.52 million people | 16.20 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.09 million people | 16.57 million people | 17.77 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More poverty & inequality data for Romania
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.71 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,021 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 10.64 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 27.54 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 27.5% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Romania was 17.77 million people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 20.60 million people in 1989.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 million people in 1994.
- How does Romania rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Romania ranks 34th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Romania data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.