The housing problem in Romania: 1 in 10 Romanians live in extremely poor housing conditions, and most families with children live in overcrowded homes

Romania is among the EU countries with the highest percentage of the population living in extremely poor housing conditions. 9.6% of the total population of our country is severely deprived of housing, according to official Eurostat data for 2023-2024.

The rate of severe housing deprivation is defined as the percentage of the population living in a home considered overcrowded, which also has at least one of the following characteristics: a leaky roof, no bathroom/shower and no indoor toilet, or a home considered too dark.

In this regard, our country is surpassed only by Latvia, where 11.5% of the population is registered as living in severe housing deprivation. Other EU countries with high percentages of the population living in extremely poor conditions are: Greece (6.9% of the population), Bulgaria (6%), Portugal (6%), and Italy (5.8%). At the opposite end of the spectrum are Malta (0.5% of the population), Ireland (0.9%), and Finland (1%).

In Romania, the percentage of the population living in severe housing deprivation (9.6%) is declining compared to previous years, when it was even higher: 19.8% in 2015 and 14.2% in 2020.

One of the most widespread problems faced by Romanians when it comes to housing is overcrowding: 59.3% of families with children in Romania live in overcrowded housing, the highest percentage among EU member states. High percentages are also recorded in Bulgaria with 52.9% and Latvia with 52.2%. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Netherlands (6.2% of families with children live in overcrowded housing), Malta (5%), and Cyprus (3.8%).

Romania is not in a better situation when it comes to sanitary facilities either: 13.9% of the total population has no bathroom, shower or flush toilet in their household, compared to Latvia (5.2%), Bulgaria (4.7%) and Lithuania (4.5%).

To address the serious housing problems faced by certain categories of the population, the authorities should invest in social housing at a faster rate than they are currently doing. The National Housing Strategy 2022-2050 needs to be reformulated to include public housing as a strategic solution to address overcrowding and substandard housing.

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Data source:

• Eurostat – Share of housing costs in disposable household income, by type of household and income group
• Eurostat – Overcrowding rate by household type - total population
• Eurostat – Severe housing deprivation rate by income quintile
• Eurostat – Total population having neither a bath, nor a shower, nor indoor flushing toilet in their household
• OECD (2024), OECD Affordable Housing Database - indicator PH4.2. Social rental housing stock
• INSSE – Housing stock, 2023
• Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA) – National Housing Strategy 2022-2050

Data processing and text design: Maria-Luiza Apostolescu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL

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