Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Italy is 27% bigger than Romania.
Italy: 302,070 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 34 times as long as Romania’s.
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 2,204 m above Romania’s.
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 3.1 times as many people as Romania.
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 2.4 times as densely populated as Romania.
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 3.4 cm taller than in Italy.
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 2.9 cm taller than in Italy.
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 4.8 years older than in Romania.
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Romania have 0.2 more children on average than in Italy.
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 20% in Romania.
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1.
Italy: 3.4 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Italy and Romania are practically level.
Italy: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 6 times the size of Romania’s.
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 23% more per person than Romania.
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Romania (Gini 4.5 points higher).
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Italy and Romania are practically level.
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.6%.
Italy: 1.6% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Romania’s.
Italy: 69% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 7.5 years longer than in Romania.
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy.
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 16% more doctors per person than Romania.
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 18% in Italy.
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 22% in Italy.
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.05 points higher than in Italy.
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Italy.
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 2% more meat per person than Italy.
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 104 kcal more food per person per day than Romania.
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 125 more hours a year than in Italy.
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 0.72 years longer than in Italy.
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 40% more tourists per resident than Romania (2019).
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 89% in Italy.
Italy: 89% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Romania are practically level.
Italy: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Italy: 70% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Italy: 133 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 61% longer than Romania’s.
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Italy fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Italy, but only 30% of Romania.
Italy: 32.9% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 41% more CO₂ than someone in Romania.
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Italy carries 6% more fine dust than in Romania.
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in Romania as in Italy.
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 92% deadlier than in Italy.
Italy: 5 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Italy is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Romania.
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 36% more rain than Romania.
Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Italy bigger than Romania?
Italy is larger. Italy is 27% bigger than Romania.
Which has more people, Italy or Romania?
Italy has 3.1 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Romania?
People in Italy live 7.5 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Italy or Romania?
Men in Romania are 3.4 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
