BUCHAREST - Romania’s business landscape demonstrated robust growth in September 2025, with new company registrations surging 54.5% compared to the same period last year, according to official business registration data. However, the data also reveals continued high business exit rates, creating a dynamic but competitive environment for entrepreneurs.

Record Registration Numbers

In September 2025, Romania recorded 14,810, a significant increase from 9,585 registrations in September 2024. This represents one of the strongest year-over-year growth rates in recent months, indicating sustained entrepreneurial momentum in the Romanian economy.

The growth was particularly pronounced among individual entrepreneurs, with PFA (Individual Enterprise) registrations jumping 117.5% to 4,938. Limited liability companies (SRL) also showed strong performance, increasing 33.9% to 9,343 registrations.

Geographic Distribution Shows Broad-Based Growth

The registration boom was widespread across Romania’s counties, with particularly strong growth in several key regions:

• București led with 3,366 registrations, up 50.5% year-over-year
• Ilfov recorded 853 registrations, growing 53.1%
• Cluj saw 742 registrations, a 62.7% increase
• Dolj demonstrated exceptional growth with 480 registrations, more than doubling from the previous year (102.5% increase)
• Alba showed the strongest percentage growth at 146.5%, reaching 387 registrations

Industry Trends Reflect Economic Shifts

The sectoral distribution of new businesses reveals important economic trends:

Wholesale and Retail Trade maintained its position as the leading sector with 18,223 registrations, though the data shows some classification changes from previous years. Transport and Storage emerged as a major growth area with 17,828 registrations,.

Other strong performers included:

• Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities: 10,869 registrations
• Construction: 10,513 registrations
• IT and Telecommunications: 6,862 registrations
• Manufacturing: 4,897 registrations, up 28.9%

The hospitality sector also showed resilience with Hotels and Restaurants recording 5,521 registrations, a 25.7% increase from September 2024.

Business Lifecycle: High Churn Rate Persists

While new business formation remains strong, the data reveals continued challenges in business sustainability. September 2025 saw 12,951 business exits through suspensions, dissolutions, and deregistrations,.

The breakdown of business exits shows:

• Deregistrations: 6,025 (up 25.4% year-over-year)
• Dissolutions: 5,339 (up 73.9% year-over-year)
• Suspensions: 1,587 (up 40.0% year-over-year)

The significant increase in dissolutions, which rose by 2,268 compared to September 2024, suggests that many businesses that started during the post-pandemic recovery period may now be facing sustainability challenges.

Net Growth and Ecosystem Health

Despite the high exit rates, Romania’s business ecosystem maintained positive net growth of 1,859. The health ratio of 1.14 indicates that for every business that exited, 1.14 new businesses were registered.

The data shows improvement in the net growth trend, with a positive change of 3,648 compared to the previous period, suggesting that the gap between registrations and exits is narrowing.

Context and Implications

The September 2025 data reflects several important economic patterns. The strong growth in transport and storage businesses aligns with Romania’s continued integration into European supply chains and the expansion of e-commerce. The resilience in professional services and IT indicates ongoing digital transformation across the economy.

However, the persistently high churn rate underscores the competitive nature of Romania’s business environment and the challenges new entrepreneurs face in establishing sustainable operations. The significant increase in dissolutions suggests that businesses launched during the post-2021 recovery period may be reaching critical decision points about their long-term viability.

The data shows Romania’s business ecosystem remains dynamic, with robust new business formation continuing to outpace exits, though the margin remains relatively narrow. This pattern suggests an economy in transition, with entrepreneurial energy driving growth while market forces continue to weed out less competitive ventures.