Romania’s population has dropped by 13% since 1992 until now. The main causes are the international migration, the family planning, and the high mortality rate.

Romania had a resident population of around 19.76 million at the beginning of this year, according to the National Statistics Institute (INS).

A third of the total drop was determined by the natural decline whereas two-thirds of the population decrease were related to the negative effects of international migration, reports local Agerpres.

The international migration peaked in 2007 when Romania joined the EU. Some 544,000 Romanians moved abroad to find work that year, according to INS.

Moreover, bad family planning has led to a decline in the number of births. The number of babies born in 2015 was 28% lower than in 1992.

At the same time, the mortality rate remained high. Thus, Romania’s population also became older. In 2002, the average age of the resident population was 37.7 years while in January 2016 it was 41.5 years.

Law proposal: Big families and young Romanians who get married to receive money from the state

editor@romania-insider.com