Romania's middle class, defined as the part of the population with disposable income between 75% and 200% of the country's median, has grown by 10 percentage points since joining the EU, accounting for 61% of the country's population in 2023, according to an analysis carried out by Ella Kállai, chief economist of Alpha Bank Romania.

Despite the growth, the largest in the region, the size of the middle class remained the second lowest in the region after Bulgaria.

"The 10pp increase was the largest expansion in the region due to both the reduction in the share of the high-income class from 14% in 2007 to 8% in 2023 and the reduction in the share of the low-income class from 35% in 2007 to 31% in 2023," reads the report cited by Cursdeguvernare.ro.

In Hungary, the middle class contracted to 65% in 2023 from 70% in 2007. The middle class is the largest (72%) in the Czech Republic, followed by Poland, where it grew to 67% from 60% in 2007.

"Compared to older EU member states such as Greece and Italy, the middle class in the region tends to be larger and income inequality less," Kállai points out.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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