EXCLUSIVE: While headline numbers show business registrations surging, alarming sector trends reveal an economy dangerously dependent on logistics and retail while key industries collapse

The Transport Boom: Unsustainable Growth or Economic Distortion?

Romania’s transport and storage sector exploded in June 2025, recording a staggering 41.18% year-over-year increase to 11,855. This unprecedented growth—the highest of any major sector—raises serious questions about whether this represents genuine economic expansion or a dangerous concentration in low-value-added logistics.

“These numbers are alarming,” warns economic analyst Maria Popescu. “When a single sector grows this rapidly while others decline, it suggests economic distortions rather than healthy diversification. We’re seeing a flood of small transport companies that may not survive the first economic downturn.”

The sector now accounts for over 10% of all business registrations, creating a dangerous dependency on a single industry that’s highly vulnerable to fuel price shocks and international trade disruptions.

Professional Services: The Silent Collapse

While transport booms, Romania’s professional, scientific, and technical activities sector—the backbone of any developed economy—shows worrying signs of stress. With 6,810 registrations, it remains the third-largest sector, but industry insiders report this masks a deeper crisis.

“Many of these new registrations are individual consultants and freelancers struggling to find stable work,” explains business consultant Andrei Ionescu. “The corporate demand for professional services is actually declining as companies cut costs. We’re seeing quantity over quality.”

The sector’s growth appears unsustainable, driven more by necessity entrepreneurship than genuine market demand for high-value services.

Construction Sector: Building on Shaky Ground

The construction industry, traditionally a bellwether for economic health, shows mixed signals with 6,437 registrations. While the raw numbers appear strong, regional analysis reveals concerning patterns.

Bucharest dominates with 2,682, but this concentration in the capital creates dangerous regional imbalances. “When construction activity is so heavily concentrated in Bucharest, it leaves the rest of the country vulnerable,” notes regional development expert Cristian Moldovan.

More alarming is the business lifecycle data showing 4,391 company dissolutions and 6,545. This suggests many construction firms are failing as quickly as new ones are forming.

Manufacturing Meltdown: The Real Crisis

The most disturbing trend emerges in manufacturing, where registrations declined 6.81% year-over-year to just 2,763. This represents a critical failure in Romania’s industrial policy.

“Manufacturing is the foundation of sustainable economic development,” warns industrial economist Radu Vasile. “When manufacturing declines while transport booms, it suggests we’re becoming a nation of middlemen rather than producers. This is a recipe for long-term economic weakness.”

The decline is particularly pronounced in traditional manufacturing regions,, driven largely by transport and logistics, while traditional industrial centers show more modest increases.

“This regional divergence is unsustainable,” warns development expert Elena Dumitrescu. “We’re creating a two-speed economy where some regions boom while others stagnate. The transport sector growth in Dolj is impressive,, with business exits exceeding new registrations.

“This is the real story behind the headline numbers,” concludes economic analyst Popescu. “We’re seeing rapid churn—companies forming and failing at alarming rates. The transport boom looks impressive until you realize it’s happening alongside the collapse of more strategic sectors. Romania is building an economy on shaky foundations.”

The data suggests Romania faces a critical choice: continue chasing short-term growth in logistics and retail, or make the difficult investments needed to rebuild manufacturing and professional services—the true engines of sustainable economic development.

The trends revealed in June 2025 suggest an economy at a crossroads, with dangerous imbalances that could threaten Romania’s long-term economic stability unless addressed through strategic policy intervention.