Gender inequality
As at 1 January 2026, the ratio of men to women aged 60 and over was 66 men to 100 women; this did not differ significantly from the figure as at 1 January 2024.
Between 2023 and 2025, life expectancy for the population aged 60 and over increased by 0.3 years for men and by 0.5 years for women.
The main causes of death among older people were diseases of the circulatory system (63.6 per cent of all deaths in this age group), neoplasms (16.7 per cent) and diseases of the digestive system (6.0 per cent).
Social protection
According to data from the National Social Insurance Fund, as at 1 January 2026, the total number of pensioners stood at 671,700, of whom 530,200 (78.9 per cent of the total) were receiving an old-age pension. The average old-age pension in 2026 stood at 4,435.6 lei, an increase of 11.3 per cent compared with 1 January 2025 and 70.9 per cent compared with 1 January 2022.
As at 1 January 2026, the minimum old-age pension stood at 3,055.7 lei, which covered 20.1 per cent of the subsistence minimum for pensioners. Furthermore, around 24.1 per cent of old-age pension recipients were in employment at the time their pension was awarded.
Labour market
According to data from the Labour Force Survey, the number of economically active older people (aged 60 and over) in 2025 stood at 87,300, which is 11.1 per cent lower than in 2024. In 2025, the number of people aged 60 and over in employment stood at 85,800, or 11.1 per cent of the total number of people in employment.
One in five working older people was employed in agriculture, citing a farm or agricultural plot as their main place of work. Specifically, 28.9 per cent of men were employed in agriculture, 13.1 per cent in industry, 9.3 per cent in education and 7.9 per cent in construction. Among women, the breakdown by sector of employment was as follows: 24.0 per cent worked in education, 16.4 per cent in healthcare and social services, 12.7 per cent in retail and 12.4 per cent in agriculture.
Standard of living of households with elderly members
According to data from the Household Budget Survey, in 2025, 44.5 per cent of all households included at least one person aged 60 or over, with 73.6 per cent of these consisting exclusively of older people, whilst the remainder included other members. Among households consisting solely of older people, 61.8 per cent were located in rural areas and 38.2 per cent in urban areas.
The average income of households comprising older people was 5,161.6 lei per person per month. Households in urban areas were in a more favourable position: their average monthly income was 6,197.6 lei per person, compared with 4,459.6 lei per person in rural areas.
The main source of income for households with elderly members was social benefits, which accounted for 54.9 per cent of monthly household income. Expenditure in households with elderly members was dominated by food costs (46.8 per cent), followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (19.2 per cent), clothing and footwear (6.4 per cent), and healthcare (6 per cent).
Of the total number of households consisting solely of older people, 74.9 per cent rated their standard of living as satisfactory, 16.7 per cent as good or very good, whilst 8.4 per cent stated that their household’s standard of living was poor or very poor.
Men are more frequently affected by disease
According to data from the National Public Health Agency, 11,700 new cases of malignant neoplasms were recorded in 2025, with people aged 60 and over accounting for 75.2 per cent of the total. Malignant tumours were more common amongst men: on average, 1,973 new cases per 100,000 men aged 60 and over, compared with 1,082 cases per 100,000 women in the same age group.
Nationwide, 1,200 new cases of active tuberculosis were recorded in 2025, with almost one in four cases (26.0 per cent) identified in people aged 55 and over. Men aged 55–64 were found to be most susceptible to active tuberculosis, accounting for 81.2 per cent of all new cases in this age group.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
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