Bucharest, July 1, 2025 – RBJ – Numerous private signals, but also statistical information, show that for over a decade the migration phenomenon has taken a favorable turn for Romania’s demography.
Although the National Institute of Statistics does not provide a coherent and diversified picture of population movement, available data show that the total number of immigrants in the years 2017-2024 was over 1,300,000 people, of which over 75% were Romanian citizens repatriated to their country of origin, Romania. Most Romanians returning home are from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 2024 last year over 35,000 Romanians returned permanently from Italy.
One of the reasons is the high cost of living.
Italy has been, for two decades, one of the main destinations for Romanians who have gone to work abroad. However, the image of a better life on the peninsula is starting to disappear.
Eugen Terteleac, president of a Romanian association, told a television channel: “The Romanian community in Italy is starting to be more and more interested in returning to the country. Salaries have stagnated and many of our compatriots are having a hard time, they can barely make ends meet with the salary they earn here.”
Eurostat data shows that the average salary in Italy increased by just 100 euros from 2019 to 2024, reaching 2,700 euros, while in Romania, the average gross salary doubled in the last five years, reaching 1,850 euros in 2024.
The average monthly rent for an apartment in Bucharest is around 650 euros, while in Rome, the city with the largest number of Romanian residents in Italy, the average rent reaches 1,500 euros.
Crina Suceveanu, journalist in Italy: “Those who were approaching retirement age and those who still had a few years left sought to leave first, because they had already built a house at home and would no longer have to pay the rent. Instead, the young chose to leave for Germany and England. A lot of women who care for the elderly left.”
Bianca, a young woman from Bucharest, left the country in 2021 and returned to Romania this year, even though she had found work in London.
“I left in October 2021 and headed to London, United Kingdom. The main reason was dissatisfaction with the salary in Romania, especially considering my 6 years of experience in a bank in Bucharest, where I dealt with customer care and investigations, with a focus on chargebacks. I felt the need for a change, and the thought of moving towards a well-defined profession, with better financial prospects, was decisive,” says Bianca. Her initial intention was to stay abroad for 2-3 years, to save (and save) money: she wanted to take courses in IT and prepare for a career in this industry.
