Romania's population is around 19 million, a figure that has declined steadily since the early 1990s as emigration to Western Europe — particularly Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK — has outpaced the birth rate. The country is notably less crowded than it was a generation ago, and many villages that once thrived now have ageing or shrinking populations.
Romanians are ethnically and linguistically Latin — descendants of Dacians and Roman colonists — surrounded by Slavic, Germanic, and Turkic neighbours. This shapes a distinct national identity, often expressed through pride in the Romanian language, which has more in common with Italian and Portuguese than with Russian or Hungarian.
Minorities
Transylvania has a significant Hungarian minority — around 6–7% of the national population, concentrated in the Szekler region (Covasna and Harghita counties, where Hungarian speakers are a local majority) and in cities like Cluj-Napoca. German-speaking Saxons and Swabians once populated much of Transylvania and the Banat, but most emigrated to Germany after 1989; small communities and their remarkable fortified churches remain.
The Romani population — estimated at 3–5% of the total, though exact numbers are contested — is the most visible minority in many cities and towns, and also the most marginalised. Tensions exist; visitors will notice them.
Character
Romanians are generally warm and hospitable to visitors. Hospitality is a point of pride, particularly in rural areas where a visit to someone's home will almost certainly involve food and tuică (plum brandy). In cities, people are reserved in public but open once introduced.
There is a strong sense of fatalism and dark humour that runs through Romanian culture, shaped by decades of Communist rule under Ceaușescu (1965–1989) and a difficult transition to democracy and market economy. Younger, urban Romanians are optimistic and internationally oriented; attachment to rural traditions and Orthodox Christianity remains strong among older generations and in the countryside.
Orthodox Christianity is central to Romanian cultural identity. Churches are busy, fasting is taken seriously by observant families, and religious holidays — especially Easter and Christmas — are major social events.