One Romanian out of five was affected by poverty in 2023, and 21.1% of the resident population lived in a household whose income was lower than the threshold set at the level of 60% of the median available income per adult/equivalent, reveals the data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).According to the cited source, estimated on the basis of the total available income, excluding the value of consumption from the household's own resources, the relative poverty rate (AROP) decreased by only 0.1 percentage points last year.Practically, in absolute values, the number of impoverished people was 3.970 million, 59,000 less than in 2022.By gender, in 2023, the poverty rate was higher among men by 0.5 percentage points than among women (21.3% versus 20.8%). The highest incidence of poverty was found among people in the "0-17 years old" category (29.6%) and "18-24 years old" (24%).Also, the poverty rate of people living in households with dependent minors and young people aged 18-24 was 25.1%, in 2023, 9.1 percentage points higher than that of people living in households without minors and young dependents.Official statistics show that, during the past year, the rate of severe material and social deprivation was 19.8%, down 4.5 percentage points compared to 2022, and the total number of people affected by severe material and social deprivation it was 3.739 million, of which 44.9% were men and 55.1% were women.The INS data highlights the fact that severe material and social deprivation affects the population with different intensity depending on the age group and household income. Thus, in the year 2023, the incidence of severe material and social deprivation was higher mainly among elderly people aged 65 and over (23.7%) and among people aged up to 18 (22.6%).The highest rate of the risk of poverty or social exclusion was recorded in the South-East region (45.3%), closely followed by the South-West Oltenia region (40.5%), and the lowest rate was observed in the Bucharest-Ilfov region (12.3%).
Bucharest will see extensive traffic restrictions on August 31 as the capital hosts the fourth edition of L’Étape Romania by Tour de France. Several major boulevards and central streets will be closed between 07:00 and 14:00 to allow more than 2,500 cyclists to take part in the event, the organizers said. The closures will affect […]
Districts 2, 3, and 4 in Bucharest are without hot water as of the time of writing due to a major breakdown that occurred on Sunday, August 17, on a main pipeline of the city's public heating system. The pipeline is located in central Bucharest, at the intersection of Mihai Bravu Road with Splaiul Unirii, under […]
UNTOLD X, the 10th anniversary edition of Romania’s largest music festival, generated more than EUR 120 million for the local economy in Cluj-Napoca and surrounding counties, according to figures released after the event. Over 470,000 people attended the four-day festival, filling hotels and restaurants to capacity and creating a significant boost for local businesses, the […]
A 70-year-old English tourist died on Saturday, August 16, due to a cardiorespiratory arrest while on a trail in Romania's touristic Bucegi Mountains. Emergency crews requested the intervention of a helicopter from the Brașov Air Operations Point in the case, helping them arrive at the scene in about 15 minutes. Once there, medical crews performed […]
Police have seized EUR 3.5 million worth of cocaine found hidden in a camper van last week and arrested two Serbian citizens suspected of trafficking the drugs through Romania. The operation, carried out by the Organized Crime Directorate – Anti-Drug Service together with DIICOT prosecutors, targeted an international network using the Balkan route to smuggle […]
Romania’s National Environmental Guard will begin using body cameras and drones in field operations after the government approved new regulations making the equipment operational, the Ministry of Environment announced. The devices, purchased through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), are intended to strengthen enforcement and improve transparency in environmental inspections. Environment minister Diana Buzoianu […]
