EU Member States Ranking: Romania Tops with Citizens Residing in Other Member States
In 2024, Romania continues to lead the European Union (EU) countries with the highest number of citizens living abroad, a trend that has been ongoing for several years. According to recent reports, approximately 3.1 million Romanians reside outside the country in another EU member state, representing around 16.3% of the population [1].
The high number of Romanians living abroad can be attributed to a combination of economic, social, and systemic factors. One of the primary reasons is the significant economic and social disparities within Romania compared to other EU countries. Despite improvements in recent years, Romania still lags behind in terms of living standards, healthcare, institutional organization, and salaries [1].
Many Romanians who initially emigrated had planned to return home, having even built houses in Romania. However, persistent shortcomings in critical areas such as healthcare, education, and public administration have discouraged their return and motivated continued residence abroad, thus increasing the size of the diaspora [1].
The impact of repeated crises, such as the economic hardship following the 2009-2013 recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing insufficient reforms in Eastern European countries like Romania, have also contributed to the high migration rates [1].
Another factor is the migration of Romania's healthcare workforce. Although recent measures like salary increases and pandemic-related policies have slowed the emigration of Romanian doctors, earlier substantial outflows have contributed to the broader migration trend [4].
It is worth noting that Romania continues to experience a large net migration deficit, partly related to the return migration of Ukrainians affecting neighbouring countries but remaining a key source of migration outflows itself [2].
Sociologist Dumitru Sandu emphasizes that the high number of Romanians living abroad (approximately 16%) cannot be ignored. He suggests that improved living standards, healthcare, institutional organization, and higher salaries could lead to a reduction in the number of Romanians going abroad. However, Sandu also stresses that significant steps to reduce corruption are necessary to encourage a larger number of Romanians to return to the country [3].
In contrast, countries like Germany and France had the lowest migration rates relative to their country's population, with less than 1% of citizens living in another EU state [1]. Other countries from central and southeastern Europe, such as Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, also have high numbers of citizens living in another EU state [1].
In conclusion, Romania's status as the EU country with the highest diaspora population reflects longstanding economic and institutional challenges, combined with historic and ongoing waves of emigration driven by the search for better living and working conditions abroad [1][4].
References: [1] Migration rankings and social factors [2] Net migration data and regional context [3] Sandu's comments reported by Ziarul Financiar [4] Health workforce migration trends
The high number of Romanians living abroad is influenced by a mix of economic, social, and systemic factors, with substantial economic and social disparities within Romania compared to other EU countries being a significant reason. The repeated crises, such as the economic downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as persistent shortcomings in critical areas like healthcare, education, and public administration, have also fueled the high migration rates.
Despite improvements in recent years, the appealing living standards, healthcare, institutional organization, and salaries in other EU countries continue to attract a large number of Romanians, with countries like Germany and France having lower migration rates compared to Romania. Sociologist Dumitru Sandu suggests that reducing corruption and improving these areas could lead to a decrease in the number of Romanians leaving the country, but significant steps are needed to encourage a larger number of Romanians to return.
