
Gross debt in Romania
General government debt of Romania refers to the debts of the state, their states and municipalities, and also of public sector institutions such as social security funds.The government debt in the period from 2000 to 2021 was between 8.4 billion and 138.8 billion USD. The highest level of the last years at 139 billion US Dollar was reached in 2021. The budget deficit in the same year was 20.3 billion USD.
Based on the number of inhabitants, this is a debt of 7,260 USD per person. For comparison, the average debt per person in the same year in the European Union was 35,341 USD.
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Gross debt of the last 21 years in billion USD
This is how much debt Romania can afford
In accordance with the Maastricht Treaty, government debt in Romania is aggregated for the federal, state and local governments as well as state institutions, and therefore includes the debt of all public budgets. As it is gross debt, the government's assets are not deducted. According to the EU convergence criteria, each EU country must meet certain requirements. For the debt budget, these two conditions in particular are decisive:- Consolidated gross debt may not exceed 60% of gross domestic product (GDP).
- The budget deficit, i.e. new annual debt, may not exceed 3% of GDP.
At the end of 2021, the debt of all EU countries averaged 92 percent.
Year | Romania total | % of GDP | per capita | EU per capita |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | 8.38 bn USD | 22.49% | 373 USD | 10,328 USD |
2001 | 10.45 bn USD | 25.87% | 472 USD | 10,404 USD |
2002 | 11.43 bn USD | 24.82% | 526 USD | 11,368 USD |
2003 | 12.78 bn USD | 22.11% | 592 USD | 14,148 USD |
2004 | 14.20 bn USD | 18.95% | 662 USD | 16,162 USD |
2005 | 15.66 bn USD | 15.91% | 734 USD | 16,918 USD |
2006 | 15.16 bn USD | 12.42% | 715 USD | 17,549 USD |
2007 | 20.86 bn USD | 11.95% | 999 USD | 19,574 USD |
2008 | 26.44 bn USD | 12.34% | 1,287 USD | 22,721 USD |
2009 | 37.92 bn USD | 21.78% | 1,862 USD | 23,701 USD |
2010 | 49.26 bn USD | 29.62% | 2,433 USD | 25,145 USD |
2011 | 62.31 bn USD | 33.99% | 3,093 USD | 28,417 USD |
2012 | 63.36 bn USD | 37.13% | 3,159 USD | 27,784 USD |
2013 | 71.78 bn USD | 37.62% | 3,592 USD | 30,021 USD |
2014 | 78.29 bn USD | 39.15% | 3,932 USD | 30,832 USD |
2015 | 67.25 bn USD | 37.81% | 3,394 USD | 26,170 USD |
2016 | 69.15 bn USD | 37.32% | 3,510 USD | 26,655 USD |
2017 | 73.67 bn USD | 35.06% | 3,761 USD | 27,535 USD |
2018 | 84.50 bn USD | 34.73% | 4,339 USD | 29,172 USD |
2019 | 88.53 bn USD | 35.27% | 4,570 USD | 27,927 USD |
2020 | 118.66 bn USD | 47.21% | 6,159 USD | 32,227 USD |
2021 | 138.81 bn USD | 48.86% | 7,260 USD | 35,341 USD |
Comparison of gross debt per capita with the European Union in U.S. dollars
Budget deficit in Romania

The budget deficit in Romania in the period between 1998 and 2022 varied between 814.64 million euros and 23.27 billion euros. In 2022, Romania reached a balance of -19 billion euros.
In ratio to population, this equals a new indebtedness of 972 euros per capita in Romania in 2022. For comparison, the average debt per capita in the European Union in the same year was 1,254 euros.
Budget deficit of the past 24 years
Year | Romania total | % of GDP | per capita | EU per capita |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | -1,333.69 M USD | -3.20% | -59 USD | -398 USD |
1999 | -1,588.79 M USD | -4.42% | -71 USD | -204 USD |
2000 | -1,752.35 M USD | -4.70% | -78 USD | 112 USD |
2001 | -1,417.47 M USD | -3.51% | -64 USD | -299 USD |
2002 | -920.07 M USD | -2.00% | -42 USD | -565 USD |
2003 | -889.35 M USD | -1.54% | -41 USD | -840 USD |
2004 | -834.66 M USD | -1.11% | -39 USD | -920 USD |
2005 | -814.64 M USD | -0.83% | -38 USD | -822 USD |
2006 | -2,626.21 M USD | -2.15% | -124 USD | -568 USD |
2007 | -4,774.82 M USD | -2.73% | -229 USD | -360 USD |
2008 | -11,542.99 M USD | -5.39% | -562 USD | -1,085 USD |
2009 | -15,825.12 M USD | -9.09% | -777 USD | -2,021 USD |
2010 | -11,507.34 M USD | -6.92% | -568 USD | -1,970 USD |
2011 | -10,727.03 M USD | -5.85% | -532 USD | -1,463 USD |
2012 | -6,876.89 M USD | -4.03% | -343 USD | -1,220 USD |
2013 | -4,326.95 M USD | -2.27% | -217 USD | -1,027 USD |
2014 | -2,385.32 M USD | -1.19% | -120 USD | -851 USD |
2015 | -961.49 M USD | -0.54% | -49 USD | -574 USD |
2016 | -4,719.71 M USD | -2.55% | -240 USD | -421 USD |
2017 | -5,339.98 M USD | -2.54% | -273 USD | -263 USD |
2018 | -6,860.31 M USD | -2.82% | -352 USD | -134 USD |
2019 | -10,866.43 M USD | -4.33% | -561 USD | -191 USD |
2020 | -23,271.18 M USD | -9.26% | -1,208 USD | -2,317 USD |
2021 | -20,329.43 M USD | -7.16% | -1,063 USD | -1,852 USD |
2022 | -18,591.14 M USD | -972 USD | -1,254 USD |
(negative numbers = deficit)