EXCLUSIVE: Romania’s business landscape is undergoing a dangerous transformation that threatens the stability of the entire economy, with October 2025 data revealing a catastrophic decline in traditional limited liability companies being masked by an unsustainable explosion of individual enterprises.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: A House of Cards

Romania recorded just 15,874 company registrations in October 2025 , a figure that might appear healthy at first glance with a 7.96% year-over-year increase . But this superficial growth hides a terrifying reality.

The bedrock of Romania’s business sector—SRLs (limited liability companies)—collapsed by a staggering 12.51% compared to October 2024, dropping from 10,678 to just 9,342 registrations . This represents the worst performance for SRLs in recent memory and signals a fundamental breakdown in business confidence.

Meanwhile, the void is being filled by PFAs (individual enterprises), which exploded by an unsustainable 67.37% to 5,935 registrations . This massive shift toward less stable, more vulnerable business structures suggests entrepreneurs are avoiding the commitment and capital requirements of traditional companies—a clear sign of economic distress.

Business Churn Reaches Crisis Levels

The business ecosystem is hemorrhaging companies at an alarming rate. October 2025 saw a shocking 12,833 business exits through suspensions, dissolutions, and deregistrations , creating a churn rate of 80.84% .

While the net growth of 3,041 companies might seem positive, the composition tells a different story. The business health ratio of 1.24 is dangerously close to the tipping point where business deaths could overtake births.

Industry Concentration Creates Systemic Risk

The business landscape is becoming dangerously concentrated in just a few sectors, creating massive systemic risk:

• Transport and storage dominates with 21,492 registrations , growing an unsustainable 60.33% year-over-year
• Wholesale and retail trade follows with 20,294 registrations
• Professional services at 12,179 registrations

This concentration means any shock to these sectors—whether fuel price spikes, supply chain disruptions, or consumer spending cuts—could trigger a domino effect across the entire economy.

Regional Imbalance Worsens

The geographic distribution of business activity is becoming increasingly lopsided, with Bucharest accounting for 22% of all registrations at 3,510 companies . This creates dangerous dependency on the capital region while other areas struggle to maintain economic vitality.

The Perfect Storm

The combination of collapsing SRL registrations, explosive growth in fragile PFAs, dangerously high business churn, and concentrated industry risk creates a perfect storm for Romania’s economy. While the headline numbers might suggest stability, the underlying data reveals a business environment in crisis—one where entrepreneurs are choosing survival over growth, and the foundations of long-term economic health are being systematically eroded.

Bottom Line: Romania’s business registration data for October 2025 shows an economy moving from stability to fragility, with warning signs flashing red across multiple dimensions. The shift from robust corporate structures to vulnerable individual enterprises, combined with dangerously high business mortality rates, suggests the Romanian economy is building on sand rather than stone.