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1. Main challenges to social inclusion

2. Main concepts

Main challenges to social inclusion

Most important challenges

The main challenge to social inclusion in Romania is poverty and exclusion reflected by the Eurostat AROPE (at risk of poverty and exclusion) indicator. In 2024, young people between 18 and 24 years old had an extremely high poverty and social exclusion rate (31.3%), close to the high risk of poverty experienced by children (33.8%). Moreover, young people have had the second highest poverty and social exclusion rate in the last 20 years.

In-work poverty affects one in two adults in Romania, including young adults. Most in-work poor combine earnings with social protection transfers (80% of the total), the child allowances being the most common form of support.

Other vulnerabilities identified by the analysis supporting the National strategy regarding social inclusion and poverty reduction for the period 2022—2027 are bulling (especially in schools) and the rising risks related drug addiction among children and young people.

Territorial inequalities

Strong regional disparities continue to shape young people’s life chances in Romania, with significantly higher poverty and early school leaving rates in rural areas and in regions such as North-East and South-East. Access to quality education, jobs, and services remains uneven, reinforcing cycles of exclusion. According to World Bank reports, students in rural areas, where 70% of Romanians in poverty live, are more than five times more likely to leave school early than their city-dwelling peers, according to Eurostat. This rural-urban divide entrenches disadvantage across generations and severely limits young people's opportunities for education, employment, and social participation.

Most affected groups

Roma face a much higher risk of being in poverty, irrespective of their age, education, or area of residence. Around 80% of Roma in Romania live below the poverty line, and persistent discrimination — highlighted in FRA reports and survey, including the Rights of Roma and Travellers in 13 European countries - Perspectives from the Roma Survey 2024 — remains a serious challenge

Children and youth deprived of parental care and support are among the most vulnerable groups in Romania as identified by research and strategic planning, cited by the National strategy regarding social inclusion and poverty reduction for the period 2022—2027.

Romania continues to record one of the highest NEET rates in the EU, particularly among young people aged 15–29, with structural barriers such as low skills, early school leaving, and limited access to active labour market measures. According to Eurostat, Romania’s NEET rate remains, in 2024, well above the EU average, especially for young women and those in rural areas. 

Young women face additional barriers related to labour market participation, care responsibilities, and early motherhood, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Gender gaps in employment and NEET rates remain significant, as noted by Eurostat. These inequalities are compounded by social norms and limited access to childcare and support services.

Young people with disability 

Despite recent policy progress, young persons with disabilities still face major barriers in accessing education, employment, and independent living. Eurostat EU-SILC data show that 38.2% of Romanians with a disability were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023 — the third-largest gap relative to non-disabled peers in the entire EU — while only 17% of those aged 20–64 were in paid work, the lowest share in the Union. 

Lower employment rates, higher poverty risk, and limited accessibility of services persist, as highlighted by analysis cited in the strategy for the integration of persons with disabilities (Strategia națională privind drepturile persoanelor cu dizabilități „O Românie echitabilă”, 2022-2027) and the Strategy for deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities from permanent care facilities (Strategia națională privind prevenirea instituționalizării persoanelor adulte cu dizabilități și accelerarea procesului de dezinstituționalizare, pentru perioada 2022-2030. Thes stratregies aim at generating new opportunities for all persons with disabilities, including young people.

Main concepts

The Social assistance law in Romania, other regulations and the entire system operate with the concept of ‘young people leaving the special protection system’, regarding to young people over 18 that are leaving any form of protection while separated from their parents, either by placement in the extended family (grandparents or other relatives), or by placement to foster families or to orphanages.

In-work poverty is a concept used to analyse social challenges, defining the situation of employed individuals who live in households with an equivalised disposable income below 60% of the national median income.

Discrimination is one of the main causes generating or maintaining exclusion and marginalization. The special law on combating discrimination defines disadvantaged categories – the people exposed to the risk of discrimination – as that category of people who are “either in a position of inequality compared to the majority’s situation, due to differences in identity, or are facing rejection and marginalization when it comes to others’ behaviour”. The vulnerable groups include: children at risk of poverty, vulnerability to social disintegration processes, juvenile delinquency; young people over 18 who are no longer covered by the family protection system; people with disabilities; persons belonging to the Roma population in high-risk situations; the elderly in high-risk situation and the homeless.