BUCHAREST - Romania’s business registration landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with individual entrepreneurs (PFA) experiencing explosive growth while traditional limited liability companies (SRL) show a notable decline, according to October 2025 business registration data.

The data reveals a 7.96% year-over-year increase in total business registrations , reaching 15,874 new entities in October 2025 compared to 14,703 in October 2024. However, the composition of these registrations tells a more complex story about changing entrepreneurial preferences.

PFA Dominance Emerges

Individual enterprise registrations (PFA) surged by 67.37% year-over-year , with 5,935 new PFAs registered in October 2025 compared to 3,546 in the same month last year. This dramatic growth has positioned PFAs as a major force in Romania’s business ecosystem, now accounting for 37.4% of all new registrations.

Conversely, limited liability companies (SRL) experienced a 12.51% decline , dropping from 10,678 registrations in October 2024 to 9,342 in October 2025. Despite this decline, SRLs remain the most popular entity type, representing 58.8% of total registrations.

Regional Patterns Reflect National Trends

The shift toward individual entrepreneurship is evident across Romania’s major economic centers. Bucharest led the nation with 3,510 registrations , showing a remarkable 32.1% year-over-year growth. Ilfov County followed with 1,024 registrations, up 29.62% from the previous year.

Cluj County, a major technology and innovation hub, demonstrated a balanced entity distribution with 535 SRLs (64.3%) and 286 PFAs (34.4%) among its 832 total registrations . This suggests that while PFAs are growing, traditional corporate structures remain strong in regions with established business ecosystems.

Industry-Specific Entity Preferences

The data reveals clear patterns in entity type preferences across different sectors. The transportation and storage industry led all sectors with 21,492 registrations , showing a 60.33% year-over-year increase. This sector’s growth likely reflects Romania’s expanding logistics and e-commerce markets.

Wholesale and retail trade followed with 20,294 registrations, while professional, scientific, and technical activities accounted for 12,179 registrations. The construction sector maintained strong performance with 11,761 registrations.

The manufacturing industry showed significant growth with 5,952 registrations, up 37.24% from the previous year, indicating continued industrial development across the country.

Smaller Entity Types Show Mixed Results

Individual enterprises (II) showed strong growth with a 31.3% increase to 537 registrations , suggesting continued interest in this simplified business structure.

General partnerships (SNC) saw a 75% increase, though from a small base of only 7 registrations. Other entity types including agricultural companies (CA), family enterprises (IF), and joint stock companies (SA) showed minimal changes, collectively representing less than 0.5% of total registrations.

Economic Implications

The shift toward individual entrepreneurship may reflect several economic factors, including simplified administrative procedures for PFAs, lower startup costs, and potentially changing attitudes toward business risk. The data suggests Romanian entrepreneurs are increasingly opting for flexible, low-overhead business structures, particularly in service-oriented industries.

The continued strength in transportation, professional services, and construction registrations indicates sustained economic activity in these key sectors, while the manufacturing growth points to ongoing industrial development.

The October 2025 data paints a picture of a dynamic Romanian business environment where traditional corporate structures are being complemented by a growing preference for individual entrepreneurship, reflecting both economic pragmatism and evolving business culture.