Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania

Romania: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 14.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
14.7%
Change on year
down 16.5%
World rank
34th
of 130 countries
All-time high
21.3%
in 2014
All-time low
7.6%
in 1989
Years of data
31
1989–2023

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania, 1989–2023

051015201989200620231989: 7.61992: 9.31994: 9.31995: 11.21997: 10.21998: 111999: 9.52000: 9.62001: 10.12002: 10.62003: 9.72004: 10.72005: 9.82006: 20.12007: 18.42008: 172009: 16.82010: 17.92011: 18.22012: 192013: 20.92014: 21.32015: 20.52016: 18.82017: 19.22018: 18.12019: 182020: 182021: 172022: 17.62023: 14.7

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Romania recorded 14.7% for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in 2023.

The figure is down 16.5% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania peaked at 21.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 1989.

Romania ranks 34th of 130 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in Romania, 1989 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1989 7.6%
1992 9.3% +22.4%
1994 9.3% +0.0%
1995 11.2% +20.4%
1997 10.2% -8.9%
1998 11.0% +7.8%
1999 9.5% -13.6%
2000 9.6% +1.1%
2001 10.1% +5.2%
2002 10.6% +5.0%
2003 9.7% -8.5%
2004 10.7% +10.3%
2005 9.8% -8.4%
2006 20.1% +105.1%
2007 18.4% -8.5%
2008 17.0% -7.6%
2009 16.8% -1.2%
2010 17.9% +6.5%
2011 18.2% +1.7%
2012 19.0% +4.4%
2013 20.9% +10.0%
2014 21.3% +1.9%
2015 20.5% -3.8%
2016 18.8% -8.3%
2017 19.2% +2.1%
2018 18.1% -5.7%
2019 18.0% -0.6%
2020 18.0% +0.0%
2021 17.0% -5.6%
2022 17.6% +3.5%
2023 14.7% -16.5%

Romania compared with similar countries

  • Romania's 14.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.7%, 1.3× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Romania's 14.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.0%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2006 +105.1% 9.8% 20.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.6% 7.6% 7.6% 1
1990s 10.1% 9.3% 11.2% 6
2000s 13.3% 9.6% 20.1% 10
2010s 19.2% 17.9% 21.3% 10
2020s 16.8% 14.7% 18.0% 4

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 31 Mexico 15.7% compare
  2. 32 Dominican Republic 15.3% compare
  3. 33 Spain 14.9% compare
  4. 34 State of Palestine 14.7% compare
  5. 36 Bulgaria 14.6% compare
  6. 37 Italy 14.5% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More infrastructure data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania?
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania was 14.7% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Romania?
The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 2014.
What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 1989.
How does Romania rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
Romania ranks 34th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Romania data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Romania. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/romania/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed