Romania, the country of owners without money. Half of the income of poor Romanians goes on bills

Romania has a lot of homeowners. On paper, many Romanians “have wealth”, but very few have liquidity, most of them living on salary and loans to pay bills from month to month. This is why almost half of the income of the poorest goes to the energy bill.

Half of the income of the poorest Romanians goes on the energy bill. iStock photo

“2% of the Romanian population (the Stratum connected to the decision) owns about 35% of the private wealth, instead 42% of the Romanian population (Consumers of added value) owns about 5% of the private wealth. If in the winter months, for the first category, the cost of energy bills is 2% of income, at in the second category, energy bills reach up to 50% of income. This reality shows the ineffectiveness of the gas and energy price ceiling mechanism for poor people,” claims energy expert Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Intelligent Energy Association (AEI).

According to him, Romania in 2026 has a workforce of approximately 8.26 million people. We have almost 4.7 million pensioners. We have over 1.3 million budget holders. We have about 0.33 million people of which can be considered – in an analysis model – the layer connected to decision, public contracts and institutional control. We have more than 300,000 minimum inclusion income recipients, more than 260,000 registered unemployed, almost 570,000 students and millions more inactive people.

The result is an economy in which the pressure on the budget is very high, and the mass of those who receive money from the redistribution is almost equal to the mass of those who produce.

Three distinct economic categories

The energy expert's analysis divides the population into three large groups with very different realities.

1. The layer connected to the decision (approx. 2% of the adult population)

This is about 330,000 people in the area of ​​economic leadership and influence. Their monthly income can vary between 50,000 and 130,000 lei, and in many cases the annual income reaches hundreds of thousands of euros or even millions.

For this segment, the cost of energy in the winter months is about 2–6% of income. Even though they have a much higher energy consumption than average, the bill is not a real problem.

In addition, this group owns approximately 35% of Romania's private wealth.

2. Workers, specialists and entrepreneurs (approx. 48% of the population)

This includes most of those who support the economy through direct labor or entrepreneurial activity.

Average monthly income:

• Worker: approximately 5,800 lei

• Specialist: approximately 12,500 lei

• Entrepreneur (average household): approximately 20,000 lei

In winter, the energy comes to represent:

• 10–12% of income for workers

• 8–10% for specialists

• 5–8% for entrepreneurs

The differences seem small in absolute numbers, but they are large in impact. The lower the income, the harder energy hits the budget. There is a minimum consumption threshold (heat, light, mobility) below which one cannot go, regardless of income.

3. Value-added consumers (approx. 42% of the population)

This is the most vulnerable category. Include:

• Budget workers without management positions (approx. 5,800 lei/month)

• Pensioners (approx. 2,800 lei/month)

• Beneficiaries of the minimum income of inclusion in rural areas (approx. 650 lei/month)

In winter, energy means approximately:

• 10% of income for budget employees without management positions

• 19% for pensioners

• up to 50% for those with minimum inclusion income

“For the very poor, energy is no longer just an expense. It's a matter of survival. Half of the income can go on heating and the bare necessities of mobility.

Although this category represents 42% of the population, it owns only about 5% of the country's private wealth“, points out the expert.

The paradox: owners, but no cash available

Romania has a lot of homeowners. On paper, many Romanians “have wealth”. In reality, few have liquidity – money available for contingencies.

That's why rising energy prices hit so hard. Even if people own a house, they don't have money set aside to absorb shocks.

Why capping does not solve the problem of the poorest

The major difference is not just between the “rich” and the “poor”, but between those for whom energy accounts for 2–6% of income and those for whom it accounts for 30–50% of income.

A general price cap mechanism helps everyone, including those who have no real need for support. Conversely, for people with very low incomes, even a price cap can mean a huge burden.

The problem is not the intent of public policy, but the structure of revenues. Energy has a minimum necessary consumption, which does not decrease proportionally with income. For this reason, the impact is regressive: it presses harder on those with low incomes.

Budgetary and electoral pressure

Approximately 6 million people are pensioners or budget workers. In a country with 8.26 million working people, this mass has major electoral influence.

Pushing for pension increases, wage stability in the public sector or energy caps is not just an emotional political decision. It is the result of a numerical reality: large groups carry a lot of weight.

“Romania does not have a problem of “collective laziness”, but a structural one: productivity is too low to support, without tension, a wide redistribution system.

Winter works as a test of endurance. For some, the energy bill is a seasonal inconvenience. For others, it's half the monthly budget.

Until the productive base of the economy grows sufficiently—that is more people to produce more value – tensions will continue. It is not a moral problem, but a mathematical one. And math doesn't take speeches into account”concludes the expert.