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Social Monitor

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Creator: FES

The fact that Romania is a poor country, with the lowest salaries in the European Union and the lowest standard of living, is well known. But these facts are far from exhausting the complexity of Romanian social reality, which hides paradoxes, contradictions, and counterintuitive truths. We invite you to discover them on the Social Monitor!

Latest News from the Social Monitor

  • Monitor Social
  • Educație / Education

Foreign language proficiency among young people in Romania

Students in Romania learn more foreign languages at school than almost anywhere else in the European Union, but, paradoxically, young Romanians are among the Europeans who know the fewest foreign languages, according to Eurostat data...

  • Monitor Social
  • Justiție Socială / Social Justice

Romanians less aware of gender discrimination and closer to "traditional" values than the EU average

Romanians have limited perceptions of gender inequalities and continue to hold traditional views on the roles of women and men, according to Eurostat data from a survey on perceptions of gender stereotypes.

  • Monitor Social
  • Justiție Socială / Social Justice

People with disabilities in Romania are at high risk of poverty and social exclusion

Romania has one of the highest proportions of people aged over 16 with disabilities who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe.

  • Monitor Social
  • Justiție Socială / Social Justice

Political representation of women. How does Romania stand in comparison with other European Union countries?

Romania continues to have poor representation of women in parliamentary, European Parliament, local council, and mayoral positions compared to other European Union countries, according to official data from 2025 from the European...

  • Monitor Social
  • Educație / Education

Romania continues to rank first in the EU in terms of the proportion of NEETs

Romania continues to have the highest proportion in the European Union of young people aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education, or training (NEETs)

  • Monitor Social
  • Justiție Socială / Social Justice

The housing problem in Romania: Demand for social housing is 2.5 times higher than the existing social housing stock

Romania ranks last in the EU in terms of social housing, with only 0.17% of the national housing stock being social housing.

  • Monitor Social
  • Sănătate / Health

Romania has the lowest fruit and vegetable consumption in the European Union despite its high agricultural potential

Romania has one of the lowest rates of fruit and vegetable consumption in the European Union.

  • Monitor Social
  • Justiție Socială / Social Justice

Through harsh austerity measures, Romania has saved less than half of what it could save by bringing its VAT revenue up to the EU27 level.

Romania has by far the largest VAT collection gap in the European Union.

  • Monitor Social
  • Muncă / Work

Working on digital platforms in Romania, a steady source of income for more and more workers

For many workers in Romania, working through digital platforms has become a common way of earning an income.

  • Monitor Social
  • Educație / Education

School dropout remains a major problem in Romania. The Southeast, South Muntenia, and Central regions are the most affected

The school dropout rate in Romania has been and remains one of the highest in the European Union, as is the rate of in-work poverty, according to Eurostat data.

Learn more about the Social Monitor

What is the Social Monitor? It is a project that aims to present Romanian social realities in figures and data in order to encourage informed public debate. Figures?! Figures are for statisticians, for economists! That's not true, figures are for anyone who is interested, provided they are presented in an accessible and attractive way. This is what the Social Monitor tries to do.

How can the Social Monitor help us? It helps us to confront our own perceptions and subject them to empirical testing. Perceptions are most often influenced by personal experience, the environment in which we live, and the dominant public discourse. The Social Monitor helps us to better understand the reality around us and the problems facing Romania. For anyone interested, the Social Monitor offers the opportunity to form informed opinions based on data and information from official sources.

How do we use the Social Monitor? First of all, as an information resource, where you can find various information about the distribution of poverty and wealth, the structure of the labor market, and the gap between different regions and between Romania and other countries. Furthermore, as an information tool — our infographics can be shared on social media, used by the press, and by anyone else who is interested. Last but not least, the Social Monitor aims to be an interactive platform where you can exchange opinions and express your views.

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Creator: FES

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