According to Eurostat, actual individual consumption per head in Romania in 2025 was about 86% of the EU average, after adjusting for purchasing power. In 2007: 48%.
According to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, at the end of 2025 Bucharest had almost 1.33 million m²: 17 shopping centres, 14 retail parks and 6 galleries.
According to Eurostat, from 172 in 2007 to 461 in 2025. The EU average: 584.
According to Eurostat, household debt in Romania in 2025 was 12.4% of GDP, against 49.2% on the EU average.
According to Eurostat, the share of residents at risk of poverty or social exclusion fell from 44.5% in 2015 to 27.4% in 2025. In cities 13.7%, in rural areas 39.8%.
Abundance in Romania: the short answer
Yes, there is abundance, and it can be measured. According to Eurostat, private consumption per head in Romania, on a measure called "actual individual consumption" and adjusted for purchasing power, reached 86% of the European Union average in 2025. In 2007, the year of accession, it stood at 48%. In 2000, at 30%. Romania today is level with Portugal and Slovenia on consumption per head, and above Greece, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Abundance is spreading outward from the cities. According to the same Eurostat data, the share of residents at risk of poverty or social exclusion fell from 44.5% in 2015 to 27.4% in 2025. In the large cities it is 13.7%, below the EU average, and in rural areas 39.8%. In 2026 consumption entered a pause: according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), retail sales volume fell by 5.6% in the first half of the year, after a decade of rapid growth.
In plain words: the Romania of malls and brands is real, especially in Bucharest. Poverty has fallen by 17 points in a decade, and the next challenge is to bring abundance to the countryside too.
How to measure "abundance": output against consumption
We have already broken down the capital region's GDP per head in our article on Bucharest-Ilfov and 188% of the European average. Here we look at the country as a whole, and at a different measure.
GDP per head measures how much is produced in the economy. "Actual individual consumption" measures how much households actually consume, including services the state provides to them, such as education and health. Eurostat recommends this measure for comparing material living standards between countries.
| Year | GDP per head (EU = 100) | Actual individual consumption per head (EU = 100) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 26 | 30 |
| 2007 | 44 | 48 |
| 2014 | 55 | 57 |
| 2019 | 69 | 77 |
| 2025 | 78 | 86 |
Source: Eurostat, table prc_ppp_ind_1, in purchasing power standards (PPS), updated 9.7.2026.
Two things stand out in the table. First: the big jump in consumption came after 2014, and especially between 2016 and 2020. Second: consumption is about 8 points higher than output. Romanian households consume relatively more than the economy produces, and this connects to the current account and budget deficits, which we set out in the chapter on what drives growth.
One more note: purchasing power standards correct for price differences. According to Eurostat, the price level of consumption in Romania in 2025 was about 59% of the EU average. In euros, without the correction, the gap is much larger. We wrote about prices in Bucharest itself in our article on the cost of living.
Retail: almost double in a decade, then a pause
According to Eurostat, retail sales volume in Romania (excluding fuel, in constant prices) rose by about 93% between 2015 and 2025. In the EU as a whole the rise over the same period was about 21%. There were years of double-digit growth: 13.3% in 2016 and 10.9% in 2017.
| Year | Growth in sales volume, Romania | EU |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13.3% | 1.9% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | 2.7% |
| 2021 | 9.9% | 5.4% |
| 2024 | 9.2% | 1.6% |
| 2025 | 0.3% | 2.4% |
Source: Eurostat, sts_trtu_a, sales volume, retail excluding fuel, seasonally adjusted.
In 2025 growth slowed. In 2026 came a pause: according to INS data published on 6 August 2026, sales volume in the first half fell by 5.6% compared with the same period a year earlier, and by 7.3% for non-food goods. The fall came with the 2025 austerity package, which included raising VAT to 21%, as we described in our article on Romania's economy in 2026. By August 2026 sales were already slightly above August 2025, according to reports.
Bucharest's malls: how much space there really is
According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, Bucharest's stock of modern retail space reached almost 1.33 million square metres at the end of 2025:
| Type | Number | Leasable area | Share of stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopping centres | 17 | 774,700 m² | 58% |
| Retail parks | 14 | 448,300 m² | 34% |
| Commercial galleries | 6 | 105,000 m² | 8% |
According to the same report, the average density in Bucharest-Ilfov is about 500 m² per 1,000 inhabitants. In Sector 1, in the north of the city, it is 757 m², and in Sector 5 only 167. In other words, even within the capital, commercial abundance is concentrated. The highest rents, according to the report, are at Băneasa Shopping City: €80 to €90 per square metre a month.
Luxury: four streets
According to an analysis by Ziarul Financiar from August 2025, luxury in Bucharest is concentrated in four areas: Calea Victoriei, Calea Dorobanților, The Grand Avenue gallery at the JW Marriott hotel, and Băneasa Shopping City. According to the paper, businesses in these areas reach about 1.5 billion lei a year.
Some facts from the same analysis: in December 2024 Louis Vuitton opened a new store on the ground floor of the Athénée Palace hotel on Calea Victoriei, and closed its previous store at the JW Marriott. Saint Laurent, Valentino, Celine, Loewe, Zegna and Moncler also operate on the street. According to the paper's sources, Hermès is planning its own store. And the other way: Burberry closed its Bucharest store.
In 1989 shortage was policy. Today the shelves are full.
This is a young luxury market, concentrated on a few streets in the capital, and it keeps attracting new brands.
Cars: more than two and a half times as many
| Indicator | 2007 | 2025 | EU, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars per 1,000 inhabitants | 172 | 461 | 584 |
| People who bought online in the past 12 months | 37.9% (2020) | 60.3% | 73.6% |
Sources: Eurostat, road_eqs_carhab and isoc_ec_ib20.
According to Eurostat, the number of cars per head in Romania has risen more than 2.5 times since EU accession. Romania is still below the EU average, and at the same level as Hungary (461). For what this means for parking and traffic in the city, see our article on cars and parking in Bucharest.
Online shopping: eMAG and the digital leap
The share of Romanians who bought online rose from 37.9% in 2020 to 60.3% in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is a fast leap, and Romania is approaching the EU average of 73.6%.
The leading player is eMAG, controlled by Prosus. According to Ziarul Financiar (June 2026), sales generated on the platform in Romania reached 10.6 billion lei in 2025, up 3.9%. The company that operates it, Dante International, reported turnover of 8.71 billion lei, down 3.2%, and a net loss of 370.7 million lei. Even the local giant is feeling the slowdown.
Debt: abundance was not built on credit
Here Romania differs from what many people assume. According to Eurostat, household debt in Romania in 2025 was equal to 12.4% of GDP. On the EU average: 49.2%. In 2020 it stood at 16.2%.
In other words, the wave of consumption is not financed mainly by household borrowing. If consumption gets a push from credit, it comes from somewhere else: from the state's deficit, as we will see in the chapter on growth. This is our interpretation, not a finding of Eurostat.
Poverty is falling: the road from the city to the countryside
| Indicator, 2025 | Romania | EU |
|---|---|---|
| At risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) | 27.4% | 20.9% |
| Same measure, rural areas | 39.8% | 21.4% |
| Same measure, cities | 13.7% | 21.0% |
| Gini coefficient (income inequality) | 27.3 | 29.2 |
Sources: Eurostat, ilc_peps01n, ilc_peps13n, ilc_di12.
Three things emerge from the table.
1. The improvement is real. In 2015, 44.5% of residents were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In 2025, 27.4%. That is a fall of 17 points in a decade.
2. The road continues. In 2025 the rate in Romania was still above the EU average, and only in Bulgaria (29.0%) and Greece (27.5%) was it higher.
3. The city is already there; the countryside is on its way. In Romania's large cities the rate is lower than the European average. In rural areas it is almost twice as high. Bucharest's abundance is the direction in which the rest of the country is heading.
The Gini coefficient fell from 31.0 in 2023 to 27.3 in 2025, below the EU average. That is a sharp fall in two years, so it is worth treating with caution until data for the coming years confirm it.
Then and now: from the 1980s to today
| The 1980s | Today | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Rationed: 20 litres a month, and private driving by odd or even number plates | 461 cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) |
| Food and consumer goods | According to the historian Mihai Dragnea, the supply of basic goods and consumer goods halved between 1981 and 1989 | Retail volume almost doubled between 2015 and 2025 |
| Electricity and heating | From 1982, rationing of household electricity and street lights switched off | 60.3% of residents shop online (2025) |
| Debt | Foreign debt repaid by spring 1989, at the price of austerity | Household debt: 12.4% of GDP (2025) |
Source for the 1980s: Mihai Dragnea, a research fellow at the University of South-Eastern Norway, on the CommunistCrimes website of the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory. The Christian Science Monitor wrote in December 1989 about extreme rationing of food, basic services and energy. We described the full context in the chapter on Ceaușescu's rise and fall.
This comparison shows where Romania came from. In 1989 shortage was policy. Today the shelves are full, and the challenge that remains in the countryside is one of distribution, not of shortage.
Frequently asked questions
Do Romanians consume like Western Europe today?
Almost. According to Eurostat, actual individual consumption per head in Romania in 2025 was about 86% of the EU average, after adjusting for purchasing power. That is similar to Portugal and Slovenia, and below Germany (120).
How many malls are there in Bucharest?
According to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, at the end of 2025 Bucharest had 17 shopping centres, 14 retail parks and 6 commercial galleries, almost 1.33 million square metres of modern retail space in total.
Is consumption in Romania financed by debt?
Not by household debt. According to Eurostat, household debt in 2025 was equal to 12.4% of GDP, one of the lowest in the EU, against 49.2% on average. The large deficit is the state's.
How many Romanians live in poverty?
According to Eurostat, 27.4% of residents were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025. In rural areas 39.8%, and in the large cities 13.7%.
The bottom line
Abundance in Romania can be measured in numbers. Consumption per head jumped from 48% to 86% of the European average since EU accession, retail almost doubled in a decade, the number of cars grew 2.5 times, and poverty fell by 17 points. Abundance started in the cities, above all in Bucharest, and 2026 is a year of pause after a fast decade. Calea Victoriei shows how far the country has come, and the countryside shows how far it still has to go.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: Eurostat: price and volume indices, GDP and actual individual consumption (prc_ppp_ind_1) · Eurostat: retail trade volume (sts_trtu_a) · Eurostat: cars per 1,000 inhabitants (road_eqs_carhab) · Eurostat: online purchases (isoc_ec_ib20) · Eurostat: household debt (tipspd22) · Eurostat: risk of poverty or social exclusion (ilc_peps01n) · Eurostat: by degree of urbanisation (ilc_peps13n) · Eurostat: Gini coefficient (ilc_di12) · Bursa.ro: INS retail data, 6.8.2026 · Cushman & Wakefield Echinox: Bucharest retail market 2025 · Ziarul Financiar: the map of Romanian luxury, 11.8.2025 · Ziarul Financiar: Dante International, 1.6.2026 · CommunistCrimes: the fall of Romanian communism, part 2 · Christian Science Monitor: Why Ceausescu Fell, 28.12.1989
This article is for general information only and is not investment, legal or tax advice. Correct as of 23 October 2026. Eurostat and INS data are revised from time to time.
Forget the dictatorship economy
- Forget the dictatorship economy: the new Romania
- Who earns what in Romania today
- Agriculture: Europe's breadbasket
- Finance: banks, the stock exchange and money
- Tech: from UiPath to Bitdefender
- Food and wine
- Culture: festivals, film and music
- Abundance: malls, consumption and brands (you are here)
- Western brands: consulting, accounting and hotels
- What drives growth: EU funds versus investment
- From dictatorship to market economy: what remained and what was built
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
