Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania
Romania: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 13.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Romania recorded 13.0% for share of workers in vulnerable employment in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania peaked at 35.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 2025.
Romania ranks 137th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 28.1% | — |
| 1992 | 28.6% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 28.9% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 29.3% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 29.5% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 29.7% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 29.8% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 31.4% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 33.5% | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 35.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 29.2% | -17.3% |
| 2003 | 29.0% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | -15.7% |
| 2005 | 25.1% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 23.5% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 22.3% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 22.5% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 24.7% | +9.7% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 23.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 18.9% | -13.5% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 16.4% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 13.7% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 13.4% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 13.3% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 13.0% | -1.5% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 13.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 1.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Romania's 13.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.3%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.9% | 28.1% | 33.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.0% | 22.3% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 14.6% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 13.0% | 14.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Romania
- 134 New Caledonia 14.2% compare
- 135 Czechia 13.5% compare
- 136 Netherlands 13.4% compare
- 138 New Zealand 12.6% compare
- 139 North Macedonia 12.3% compare
- 140 Slovakia 11.8% compare
More work & labour data for Romania
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7777 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7486 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.8063 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.18 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1264 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,932 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,465 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,408 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,360 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 10,768 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Romania was 13.0% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 2025.
- How does Romania rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Romania ranks 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Romania data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).