Languages spoken in Romania
Europe · Capital: Bucharest · Population 18.1 million
The official language of Romania is Romanian. An estimated 90% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 16.3 million people. After Romanian, the most widely spoken are English at 31% and French at 12%. Romanian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Romanian is also spoken in four of its five neighbours: Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine. In total, five languages are recorded in Romania, and their shares add up to 149.6% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.5 of them.
What languages are spoken in Romania?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| RomanianIndo-European | 90% | Official | 16.3 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 31% | Spoken | 5.6 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 12% | Spoken | 2.2 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 10% | Spoken | 1.8 million |
| HungarianUralic | 6.6% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Romania?
The official language of Romania is Romanian. Romanian is spoken by an estimated 90% of the population, or roughly 16.3 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Romanian in Romania?
An estimated 90% of Romania's 18.1 million people speak Romanian, which works out at roughly 16.3 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Romania
- Capital
- Bucharest
- Population
- 18.1 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 238,391 km²
- Currency
- RON
- Languages recorded
- 5
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- RO / ROU / 642
Which countries border Romania?
Romania shares a land border with five countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine. Romanian, the most widely spoken language in Romania, is also spoken in Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.