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A robust year-over-year gain masks a dramatic pivot away from limited liability companies toward sole traders — while rising dissolutions signal a more selective business environment.

Romania recorded 13,139 new business registrations in February 2026 , up from 12,099 a year earlier — a year-over-year increase of 8.6% . On the surface, the headline figure tells a story of continued entrepreneurial momentum. But beneath it lies a striking realignment: Romanian entrepreneurs are increasingly choosing leaner, simpler business structures, and entire industries are trading places in the registration rankings.

Romania recorded 13,139 new business registrations in February 2026 — an 8.6% increase over the same month a year earlier. But the headline total, while encouraging, masks a far more consequential story: the composition of those registrations is shifting at a pace not often seen in the country’s post-transition entrepreneurial history. The limited liability company (SRL) — Romania’s bedrock business vehicle for decades — is ceding ground at a striking rate, while the sole-trader form (PFA) is experiencing nothing short of a surge.

Capital Region Commands Nearly a Third of All New Registrations as Provinces Show Mixed Growth

Romania opened 2026 with 11,075 new business registrations in January — a sharp 27.7% increase year-over-year compared to the 8,675 registered in January 2025 . But beneath this headline figure lies a more nuanced story: growth is not spreading evenly across the country. The Bucharest-Ilfov region is pulling ahead at a pace that few provincial counties can match, reinforcing longstanding patterns of economic concentration around the capital.

Romanian Business Pulse — January 2026 Sector Report

January 2026 delivered a striking opening to the new year for Romania’s business registration landscape. A total of 11,075 new companies and sole traders were registered nationally — a +27.7% jump compared to January 2025’s 8,675 registrations. But the headline number only hints at a more complex story playing out beneath the surface: some sectors are experiencing extraordinary acceleration, one is quietly retreating, and the overall business ecosystem is running a net deficit of entries over exits. Here is a sector-by-sector look at what the January data actually shows.

Churn Rate at 124%, But a Meaningful Recovery from December’s 137% Low

The Big Picture: More Businesses Are Leaving Than Arriving

Romania opened 2026 with a business landscape under measurable strain. In January, the country recorded 11,075 new registrations against 13,761 total business exits , producing a net loss of 2,686 active entities — meaning the registered business stock shrank for the month.

The resulting churn rate of 124.25% — meaning exits ran at 124 for every 100 new registrations — signals a market that is consolidating rather than expanding. The health ratio, which measures registrations against exits, stood at 0.80 , well below the 1.0 threshold that would indicate a balanced ecosystem.

January 2026 saw Romania record its highest January registration count in recent years, driven by an extraordinary leap in sole trader filings. Yet beneath the headline growth, a rising tide of business exits signals a more complex picture for the national business ecosystem.

A Robust Start to the Year

Romania registered 11,075 new businesses in January 2026 , a 27.7% increase compared to the 8,675 registrations recorded in January 2025. While a modest month-over-month dip of 4.8% from December 2025’s 11,632 registrations is notable, such a seasonal pullback is entirely typical for January — the post-holiday period routinely sees administrative activity slow before picking up pace.

A Quarter of Two Speeds: Registrations Climb Year-on-Year While Lifecycle Pressures Build

The three-month window spanning November 2025 through January 2026 delivered a mixed but ultimately revealing picture of Romania’s business formation landscape. Compared to the same quarter a year earlier, new company registrations rose substantially across all three months — a consistent year-on-year improvement. Yet the same period also saw exits (suspensions, dissolutions, and deregistrations) accelerate sharply in the final weeks of the year and into January, creating a net negative balance for the business register in both December and January. The quarter’s story, in short, is one of genuine entrepreneurial vitality set against a rising tide of business closures.

Bucharest, February 2026 — Romania opened 2026 with a sharp acceleration in new business registrations, recording 11,075 new entities in January — a 27.7% increase compared to the 8,675 registrations logged in January 2025 . While the headline growth figure signals robust entrepreneurial momentum entering the new year, a parallel and equally significant rise in business closures and dissolutions adds an important layer of complexity to the overall picture.

Romania opened 2026 with a sharp uptick in new business registrations, but the headline figure masks an even more significant structural shift: the country’s entrepreneurs are increasingly choosing lighter, more agile legal forms over traditional limited liability companies.

A Strong Start — But Uneven Across Entity Types

Romania recorded 11,075 new business registrations in January 2026, a 27.67% increase compared to the 8,675 registered in January 2025. That is a substantial year-on-year jump of 2,400 entities .

Romania’s business landscape showed significant sectoral shifts in December 2025, with manufacturing leading an unprecedented 226% year-over-year growth while traditional sectors maintained steady performance and energy-related industries faced challenges.

The Romanian business registration data for December 2025 reveals a complex economic picture, with manufacturing experiencing explosive growth while the overall business ecosystem shows signs of consolidation. Total registrations reached 11,632 , representing a 45.87% increase from December 2024 . However, this growth occurred alongside significant business exits, resulting in a net negative growth of -4,292 companies for the month .