Eurostat: Bucharest to Lose One in Four Residents by 2030

Bucharest will lose one in four residents by 2030 according to the most recent study on the subject. EUROSTAT came to this conclusion after studying the demographics evolution and the natality tendency in Romania.

According to the European Institute, Bucharest will only have 1.5 million residents in 2030 as compared to 1.8 million now. The current number is contested by local authorities, as in Bucharest live more people than the ones who actually have an official residence in the city.

Even so, a drop in the official statistics by 23% is huge. This means that Bucharest could become less attractive to investors as it is at risk to lack the necessary workforce.

Among the causes of this tendency, there are three standing out. First, the natality, which is dropping not only in Bucharest but all over Romania. Another cause is the natural migration of Bucharest residents to Western countries, where they could find better-paid jobs. The third cause is the most obvious of it all: Bucharest residents move out to the outskirts. There are millions of residents living in the suburbs, who come to Bucharest every morning and go home in the afternoon.

All in all, experts estimate that Bucharest would still keep its economic power even though the city would become less populated. Its workforce will live in the suburbs as well, but also it will be completed by the immigrants coming to the city from the country or even from abroad.

This tendency also comes with some advantages. A quarter of the population lost in the following 9 years could offer its remaining residents a less polluted city, fewer traffic jams and a price drop of the rent.