The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania
Romania: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania is 0.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 51.8% on the previous year and down 92.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania peaked at 18.4% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1989.
That places Romania 74th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | — |
| 1994 | 18.4% | — |
| 1995 | 3.5% | -81.0% |
| 1997 | 4.2% | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 11.1% | +163.7% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | -26.5% |
| 2008 | 6.0% | -25.8% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | +17.7% |
| 2011 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 7.6% | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | -31.3% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -23.6% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -17.3% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | -21.4% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -16.5% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -28.4% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | -51.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 0.0% | 18.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 5.3% | 11.1% | 4 |
| 2010s | 6.4% | 3.1% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 0.7% | 2.4% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Romania was 0.7% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 1994.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1989.
- How does Romania rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Romania ranks 74th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 92.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.