If in 2007 a very young population emigrated to us – the average age was 29 years old, now they leave the country at the average age of 34 years – said the president of INS Tudorel Andriy at the “Family Health and Birth” conference held in the Romanian Academy.

President of INS Tudorel AndriyPhoto: Inquam Photos / George Călin

However, the average age of the population in general has also increased, Andrii explained.

Demographers, anthropologists, sociologists, historians and scientists took part in the event, who discussed the demographic problem, the social risks it carries and possible solutions. Unfortunately, there was not a single representative of the Government or the ruling coalition.

“This conference is not for researchers. The audience should consist of those who have to make decisions that produce results,” the INS president also said.

Watch the presentation by Professor Andrii Tudorel, President of INS, here

“They said here that we have few births to young women. Unfortunately, in the years 2002-2021, almost 700 children are born in our country every year. Which means a lot and shows the state of affairs, which is happening both in the village and in the city, but especially in the countryside,” Andriy Tudorel also drew attention.

One in three underage mothers in Romania is also born to an underage mother, and 8 out of 10 mothers or pregnant women under the age of 18 no longer go to school, according to research by Save the Children. In addition, 45% of births registered among girls under the age of 15 in the European Union come from Romania, the country that ranks first in the EU for this indicator.

In addition, the average age at first birth for adolescent mothers from disadvantaged rural areas in Romania is 16 years for the first birth and 18 years for the second.

In the context of the low birth rate, the President of the INS also spoke about children born abroad and registered in Romania (between 2009 and 2022): their 410,927 children out of a total of 2,880,097 children registered in Romania.

Tudorel Andrii also presented a map with the distribution of children born abroad and registered in Romania by district, as well as the first 3 countries where they were born.

Below is the time share of children born outside the country in the total number of births

Some features of population reduction (RPL2021 vs. RPL2011)

  • A decrease of 5.3% at the level of the entire population;
  • Decrease by 8.4% of the population under 8 years;
  • 5.7% decrease in the population under 10 years of age;
  • The share of the adult population (15-64 years) decreases from 68.0% to 64.3%;
  • The share of the adult population in the age group of 55-64 years decreases from 19.7% to 18.2%;
  • The share of the population over 65 years old is growing from 16.1% to 19.6%.

Demographic aging index

For every 100 young people (up to 15 years old), there are 121.2 elderly people (65 years old and older), approx. 20% in relation to the value of the indicator determined at RPL2011 (101.8).

Demographic dependence report

55.5 young and elderly per 100 adults compared to 47.0 in RPL 2011.

Migration

International migration significantly reduced Romania’s permanent population, especially in the first 20 years of the transition.

From 2031, those born after 1967 will become elderly.

The average age has increased

1990 – average age (34.5; 33.4 (M); 35.6 (W))

2020 – average age (42.2; 40.6(M); 43.9(M))

1990 – 2020: Romania’s permanent population aged by 7.7 years (22%)

The phenomenon of aging is more pronounced in the female population (8.3 years compared to 7.2 years in the male population)