Populational decline in Romania continues

The population of Romania has been steadily declining over the past two decades, with multiple factors contributing to this trend, including natural population decrease and migration. The natural population growth in Romania remained negative in August of this year, with a decrease of 3,108 people, as the number of deaths exceeded the number of live births, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). In August 2023, there were 16,195 births, an increase of 1,908 compared to the previous month. The number of deaths recorded in August 2023 was 19,303 (10,125 males and 9,178 females), which is 357 more deaths (221 males and 136 females) than in July 2023. According to INS, the monthly evolution of the number of deaths and births from August 2021 to August 2023 shows a significant increase in the number of deaths in October 2021 when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest values were recorded. Subsequently, there was an oscillating trend in the following months, without reaching the levels of the earlier months. At the same time, the number of births was high in August and September, both in 2021 and 2022, despite the increased number of deaths, with the natural growth remaining negative.

In the first seven months of 2023, the values of births and deaths followed the same trend, with both phenomena experiencing increases in August compared to the previous month. In August of this year, 40.5% (7,824 deaths) of the total number of deaths occurred in individuals aged 80 and above, 26.1% (5,030 deaths) in the 70-79 age group, and 18.1% (3,499 deaths) in the 60-69 age group. On the other hand, the fewest deaths were recorded in the age groups of 0-4 years (95 deaths), 5-19 years (50 deaths), and 20-29 years (109 deaths). In terms of the main causes of death, most people who died in August 2023 had the following primary causes: circulatory system diseases (10,086 people, representing 52.3%), tumors (4,021 people, representing 20.8%), and respiratory system diseases (1,443 people, representing 7.5%). INS states, "The natural population growth remained negative (-3108) in August 2023, with the number of deaths being 1.2 times higher than that of live births." In August 2023, 17,112 marriages were registered at civil registry offices, an increase of 1,151 compared to July 2023. The number of divorces pronounced by final court decisions and by mutual agreement of spouses (administratively or through notarial procedures) was 1,753 in August 2023, which is 120 more than in July.

Compared to August 2022, the number of live births recorded in August 2023 was 1,272 higher, while the number of deaths in August 2023 was 3,037 lower. The number of infants under one year of age who died in August 2023 was 3 less than in August 2022. "The natural population growth remained negative (-3108 people) in both August 2023 and August 2022," according to INS. Following the top three leading causes of death, there were 47 more deaths due to tumors in August 2023 compared to August 2022, 975 fewer deaths due to respiratory system diseases, and 1,934 fewer deaths due to circulatory system diseases. In August 2023, there were 9,994 deaths in urban areas (5,204 males and 4,790 females), and 9,309 deaths in rural areas (4,921 males and 4,388 females). Compared to the same month in 2022, the number of deaths decreased by 1,457 people (686 males and 771 females) in urban areas and by 1,580 people (916 males and 664 females) in rural areas.