Romania's population continues to decrease – in March, the number of deaths was almost twice as high as the number of births, according to data published on Tuesday by Statistics. This means that in a single month, the country lost, only through pure demographic dynamics, i.e. without taking emigrants into account, the equivalent of the population of a small provincial town like Rovinari, Videle or Năsăud.
In March 2026, deaths were 1.9 times more than births – 20,766 deaths compared to 10,682 births, according to the National Institute of Statistics. The resulting natural increase: minus 10,084 in a single month.
According to Statistics data, in March 2026 birth certificates were registered for 10,682 children, an increase of 808 compared to February 2026. The number of death certificates was 20,766, higher by 1,078 compared to the previous month. 10,704 deaths were among men, and in 10,062 cases it was about women.
The situation is not a new one. Romania has recorded negative natural growth every year since 1992. March's figures confirm that the trend has not reversed and there are no signs that this could happen.
A slightly positive birth signal
Compared to March 2025, there were 262 more births (+2.5%), which is a good development compared to the downward trend. Whether it's a trend reversal or a seasonal fluctuation remains to be seen.
Also, the number of deaths decreased by 804 (-3.7%) compared to March 2025. Including infant mortality (children under 1 year) decreased by 24 cases, which is a positive signal.
Concentration of deaths at older ages
Over 70% of all deaths were among people over the age of 70 – over 42.5% over the age of 80, and 28.5% over the age of 70 to 79). This reflects both the aging of the population and lower life expectancy compared to the European average.
Disparities between counties in terms of birth rate
The counties with the most births in March 2026: Bucharest (1,056) Iași (522), Suceava (479), Timiș (408) and Cluj (492) – basically, university and economic poles. At the opposite pole, counties such as Teleorman (95), Mehedinți (101), Caraș-Severin (101) have extremely low numbers, reflecting the sharp depopulation in the extreme south and west of the country.
Marriages vs. divorces
In March 2026 there were 3,146 marriages and 2,235 divorces. It means a ratio of almost 1 to 1.4, which is quite high.
According to Eurostat data, there were approximately 1.7 million marriages and 0.7 million divorces at EU level. That is 3.9 marriages per 1,000 people and 1.6 divorces per 1,000 people. The ratio is therefore approximately 1 divorce to 2.4 marriages at European level.
Compared to the figures from March (1 divorce to ~1.4 marriages), Romania is considerably worse than the EU average – although the monthly figures are not perfectly comparable to the annual rates.
The highest divorce rates in the EU were in Latvia (2.8 per 1,000 people), Lithuania (2.5) and Estonia, Finland and Sweden (2.1 each). The lowest divorce rates were recorded in Malta (0.9), Slovenia (1.0) and Romania (1.1).
