In 2022, the majority of EU citizens living in other EU member states were Romanian citizens (3.1 million or 23.3% of all EU citizens living in another EU country), followed by Polish citizens (1.5 million or 11.6%), Italians (1.5 million or 11.1%) and Portuguese (969 thousand or 7.3%), according to a study published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics.

Furthermore, out of 27 member states, only 4 countries have a higher proportion of emigrants than immigrants: Latvia, Greece, Croatia and Romania.

The distribution of emigrants shows the existence of some emigration basins, especially in counties with a very large population. For example, a large number of emigrants are registered in Bucharest, as well as in the counties of Iasi, Prahova, Cluj, Timișoara, Suceava and Constanta, the INS also shows.

The predominant age of emigrants is 30-34 years for men and 20-24 years for women, statistics say.

In Romania, international migration is a phenomenon that has an important effect at all levels of society: individuals, households, local communities, as well as at the national level.

In the period after 1989, the most important and noticeable effect of international migration was the decrease in the size of the permanent population and the aging of the population due to the migration of especially young people, people who, as a rule, are the most active among the population. economic point of view.

The impact of emigration is particularly felt in the labor market: a reduction in the share of the active population, increased pressure on those who remain to support an elderly, dependent population, but it also has significant consequences for social service systems, health care and education. In addition, migration has led to changes in the birth rate, age and gender structure of the population, and family composition.

Another adverse consequence of international migration was the complete or partial depopulation of some areas, the so-called “emigration basins”.

Another consequence is a sharp decrease in population density. In 2023, the average density was 92 inhabitants/km., only 12 districts exceeded this value. Over the past 30 years, the density has decreased from approximately 100 people/km.p to 92 people/km.p.

Counties with high density coincide with those with larger populations. The city of Bucharest stands out especially, for which the population density of 9,012 inhabitants/km2 is almost a hundred times higher than the one calculated at the national level. The lowest level of population density as of January 1, 2023 was recorded in Tulchansky District (26.6 inhabitants/km2).

In fact, almost 10% of the population living in Romania is concentrated in the municipality of Bucharest (9.9). In 2023, the counties with a large population are Iasi, Prahova and Suceava.

At the opposite pole are districts with a lower population concentration: Salaj (1.1%), Tulcha and Kovasna (1.0%).