The United Nations have declared that July 11th is “The International Day of the Population” since 1974. The UN estimates that the population number reached the first billion around 1800. In 1999, they recorded about 6 billion people, but the UN says that the world population will increase to almost 7 billion people this year.
According to a press release from The Institute of National Statistics, on January 1, 2010, the Romanian population was recorded as 21,462,000 inhabitants. The male population is represented by 48.7 percent and the female population is represented by 51.3 percent. Romania is the seventh country in the European Union on the largest population chart. It follows Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Poland.
The young population (0-15 years old) is about 15.2 percent, the adult population is 69.9 percent, and the seniors (65+) – 14.9 percent. By January 1, 2010, the average age of the Romanian population was about 39.6 years.
In the urban areas, there are over 11,819,000 dwellers, more than half of the Romania’s population (55.1 per cent). The cities with the largest population are: Bucharest (the capital) – 1,944,500 inhabitants, Timyshoara – 311,400 inhabitants, Iashi – 308,700 inhabitants, and Cluj – 307,200 inhabitants.
The population of Romania is decreasing because of the migration process that has increased after Romania joined the European Union in 2007, giving Romanians the possibility to travel and work without restrictions. The labor migration is a serious problem in Romania, while millions of people went to Italy, Spain, Greece, and other EU countries to work. The unemployment rate is 10.8 percent, and it is expected to increase by the end of this year up to 15.7 percent, because of dismissals from the public sector, a decision taken by the Romanian government due to the austerity measures.
