One in ten Romanians live in severely inadequate housing, report shows

Romania ranks among the European Union countries with the highest share of people living in severely inadequate housing, according to new data compiled by Monitorul Social, a project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania, based on Eurostat figures for 2023–2024. The report showed that 9.6% of Romania’s population lives in conditions classified as “severe housing deprivation,” meaning homes that are both overcrowded and affected by at least one of the following issues: leaky roofs, lack of a bath or shower, no indoor toilet, or insufficient natural light.

Romania is second only to Latvia, where 11.5% of the population face similar living conditions.

Other EU countries with high rates of severe housing deprivation include Greece (6.9%), Bulgaria (6%), Portugal (6%), and Italy (5.8%). At the other end of the spectrum are Malta (0.5%), Ireland (0.9%), and Finland (1%), the same report revealed.

Despite its poor ranking, Romania’s situation has improved in recent years, as the share of people living in severely deprived housing has dropped from 19.8% in 2015 and 14.2% in 2020 to 9.6% in 2024.

According to the same source, overcrowding remains one of the most pressing issues in Romania. Nearly six in ten families with children (59.3%) live in overcrowded homes – the highest proportion in the European Union. 

Bulgaria (52.9%) and Latvia (52.2%) follow. In contrast, only 6.2% of families with children in the Netherlands, 5% in Malta, and 3.8% in Cyprus live in overcrowded conditions.

Romania also performs poorly on access to basic sanitation. About 13.9% of the population lack a bathroom, shower, or indoor toilet, compared with 5.2% in Latvia, 4.7% in Bulgaria, and 4.5% in Lithuania.

According to the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s analysis, addressing these housing challenges requires stronger public investment in social housing. The organization recommends that Romania’s National Housing Strategy 2022–2050 be revised to prioritize public housing as a key solution to overcrowding and poor living conditions.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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