Romania

Latin-rite Catholics in Romania are members of an ethnic Hungarian minority, a small community surrounded by Orthodox Christians in one of Europe’s most religiously observant societies. Catholics live mostly in homogenous enclaves in the eastern part of the Transylvania region. There is a sense that these areas are a kind of Catholic homeland. There is a widely-known legend (believed by many ordinary Catholics to be historically true) that the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of Catholics defending this region against an invading Protestant army. An annual pilgrimage to the site of this apparition helps bolster the sense that Catholicism has a “home” in this region.

In the Journal of Global Catholicism

Marc Roscoe Loustau, "Radio Maria Transylvania: National Representation, Prayer, and Intersubjectivity in a Growing Catholic Media Network," Journal of Global Catholicism 3, no. 2 (2019): 64-87, DOI: 10.32436/2475-6423.1056.

Marc Roscoe Loustau, "Risking a Miracle: Transcendentally-Oriented Improvisation and Catholic Charismatics’ Involvement in a Transylvanian Canonization," The Journal of Contemporary Religion 31 (2016): 335-50, https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2016.1206229.

Articles

In the News

A message to Pope Francis: Be wary of right-wing populists when you visit Romania - America Magazine - April 19, 2019

Demographics

National Demographics

Total Population:

21,640,000 1

Urban:

54.39% 1

Rural:

45.61% 1

Immigrants as % of Population:

1.2% 2

Homicides:

1.49 per 100,000 people (global median 6.9) 3

Level of Public Corruption:

57 (1=lowest, 176=highest corruption) 4

Gender Equality in the Economy, Health, Education and Politics:

76 (1=most equal, 144=least equal) 7

Fertility Rate:

1.51 births per adult woman 5

Children Who Do Not Live to Age 5:

1.10% 5

Life Expectancy at Birth:

75 years 5

Adult Literacy Rate:

98.60% 5

Internet Users:

54% 5

Gross National Income per Capita:

US$9,520 5

Population Living Below US$1.90 per Day:

0.0% 5

Catholic Demographics

These statistics are derived from the Vatican's official publication, Statistical Yearbook of the Church, 2015. Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2017. The numbers may differ from data reported by other sources on this site.

Baptized Catholics:

1,453,000

Baptized Catholics as % of Total Population:

7.35%

Baptisms per Year (Under age 7):

9,685

Baptisms per Year (Over age 7):

272

First Communions per Year:

9,193

Confirmations per Year:

7,531

Students Enrolled in Catholic Primary Schools:

2,648

Students Enrolled in Catholic Secondary Schools:

5,230

Students Enrolled in Catholic Higher Education:

337

Church Marriages per Year:

5,441

Church Marriages in Which Both Spouses are Catholics:

3,205

Priests:

2,006

Women Religious (Nuns & Sisters):

1,141

Catholics per Priest:

724

Parishes:

1,892

Catholic Hospitals:

Homes for Aged, Handicapped, Invalids:

1.United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects, 2014.
2.United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision.
3.United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Homicide Statistics 2015.
4.Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
5.UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2016.
6.Statistical Yearbook of the Church, 2015. Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2017.
7.World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report, 2016.

Romania

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Romania

In the Journal of Global Catholicism

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Articles

In the News

Demographics

Footnotes

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