Romania is the European Union country with the highest number of citizens living in other countries within the community block.
Approximately 3.1 million Romanians currently reside in other EU states, representing 16.28% of the total population of Romania – estimated at around 19 million, according to an analysis by Profit.ro based on the most recent European data.
This means that almost one in six Romanians have chosen to live outside the country's borders, but still within the European Union.
Romania Clearly Surpasses Large Countries Such as Italy or Poland
In comparison, Italy and Poland, ranked next in this list, each have approximately 1.5 million citizens residing in other member states.
As a percentage of the national population, only 3.99% of Poles and 2.6% of Italians live in another EU state, compared to over 16% in the case of Romania.
Croatia and Bulgaria - the Only Ones Approaching Proportionally
The only countries that come close to Romania proportionally are Croatia, with 14.9% of citizens living in other EU countries, and Bulgaria, with 11.68%.
On the other hand, in Western European countries, internal migration within the EU is much lower: less than 1% of German, French, or Swedish citizens live in another member state.
EU citizens benefit from freedom of movement and work in any other member state. Thus, anyone with European citizenship can:
- reside in another EU state for up to three months without any other formalities;
- work without restrictions or discrimination;
- study under the same conditions as local citizens;
- vote and run for local elections and the European Parliament in the country of residence.
However, in the case of Romania, massive migration to Western Europe also reflects structural issues: lower wages, lack of prospects, poor infrastructure, and crises in public systems. Despite European integration, internal economic realities continue to drive millions of Romanians to build their future outside the country.