More than 12,600 Romanians are born on February 29. This means that they get to celebrate their birthday once every four years and 2016 is one of these special years.

Of the total of 12,622 people, more than 6,400 are women and 6,210 are men, according to data from Romania's Interior Ministry, cited by local Mediafax. Most of those who celebrate their birthdays on February 29 are from Bucharest (1,142), followed by Iasi (533).

February 29, also known as a leap day in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. A leap day appears because a complete revolution around the Sun takes slightly longer than 365 days, namely 365 days and six hours. An extra 24 hours thus accumulates every four years.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com