According to the United Nations (UN), in 2025, more than 20% of the population in Romania will be over the age of 65, making the country part of the list of super-aged societies, according to Visual Capitalist data quoted by Economedia.ro.

Romania is experiencing fewer and fewer births each year, while the proportion of elderly people continues to grow, causing several economic and social challenges. Importantly, an aging population in a democracy also tends to vote for short-term policies and discourage the long-term planning necessary for prolonged development.

The problem is most visible locally. In many rural communities across Romania, seniors represent almost a quarter of the population.

Nationally, the ratio of retirees to employees was 8 to 10, according to the National Institute of Statistics, weighing down the national budget.

Monaco tops the list of super-aged societies, with 36% of its population over 65 years old, followed by Japan (30%) and the island of Saint-Helena (27.8%). There are 43 countries worldwide in this situation, and Romania ranks 42nd.

According to the latest data from the National Pension House, there were over 4.5 million retirees in Romania in January 2025, of which more than 3.6 million receive an old-age pension, with the majority being women. Additionally, the number of people over 80 years old is rising. As a result, the demand for nursing homes has increased. 

“The percentage of the global population aged 65 and above is expected to rise from 10% in 2022 to 16% in 2050. It is projected that by 2050, the number of individuals aged 65 years or above across the world will be twice the number of children under age 5 and almost equivalent to the number of children under 12 years,” a UN report says.

According to estimates, Switzerland, South Korea, Canada, and Taiwan will also reach the super-aged population status in 2025, alongside Romania.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Radub85 | Dreamstime.com)