December 2025 data reveals Bucharest-Ilfov maintains overwhelming lead in business registrations while provinces show mixed growth patterns

Romania’s business landscape in December 2025 continued to reflect significant regional disparities, with the Bucharest-Ilfov metropolitan area accounting for nearly 30% of all new company registrations while maintaining healthier business survival rates than many provincial counties, according to official registration data.

Capital Region’s Overwhelming Market Share

The Bucharest-Ilfov region recorded 3,487 new business registrations in December 2025 , representing 30% of Romania’s total 11,632 registrations for the month . Bucharest alone accounted for 2,683 registrations, while neighboring Ilfov county added 804 new businesses.

This concentration is particularly striking given that Bucharest-Ilfov represents only about 10% of Romania’s population, indicating a business density nearly three times higher than the national average.

Provincial Growth Outpaces Capital in Percentage Terms

While Bucharest-Ilfov dominates in absolute numbers, several provincial counties showed explosive growth rates in December 2025. Iași County led the nation with a 95.06% year-over-year increase , followed by Maramureș at 125.86% and Suceava at 92.48%. Cluj County, Romania’s second-largest business hub, grew by 64.58% to reach 683 registrations.

Bucharest itself showed solid growth at 16.6%, while Ilfov expanded by 40.56%. However, these growth rates were modest compared to the provincial leaders, suggesting that while the capital maintains its dominance, provincial centers are catching up in terms of momentum.

Entity Type Preferences Show Regional Variations

Limited liability companies (SRLs) remained the most popular business form nationwide, accounting for 7,629 registrations . However, the data reveals interesting regional patterns in business structure preferences.

Individual enterprises (PFAs) showed remarkable growth nationwide, increasing by 108.93% year-over-year to 3,650 registrations. This surge in micro-entrepreneurship appears particularly strong in provincial areas, where lower startup costs and simpler administrative requirements make PFA structures more attractive for new business owners.

Industry Concentrations Reveal Economic Specialization

The industry breakdown shows distinct patterns between capital and provinces. Transportation and storage led all sectors with 1,832 registrations , followed by wholesale and retail trade at 1,621. Professional, scientific, and technical activities (1,088) and information and communications (1,079) rounded out the top four.

Manufacturing showed the most dramatic growth at 226.28% year-over-year , suggesting renewed industrial activity that appears concentrated in provincial areas with available industrial zones and lower operating costs.

Business Survival Rates: Capital Shows Resilience

Lifecycle data reveals a crucial dimension of regional business health. While Bucharest-Ilfov accounted for the highest number of business exits (3,265 combined), its churn rate—the ratio of business exits to new registrations—was among the lowest in the country at 94.56% for Bucharest and 90.55% for Ilfov .

In contrast, several provincial counties showed concerning churn rates above 150%, including Constanța (178.86%), Argeș (183.28%), and Sibiu (178.81%). This suggests that while provincial areas are creating new businesses at impressive rates, they may be struggling to sustain them.

Economic Centralization vs. Decentralization Trends

The December 2025 data presents a nuanced picture of Romania’s economic geography. On one hand, Bucharest-Ilfov’s continued dominance in absolute registration numbers confirms the capital region’s role as Romania’s primary economic engine. The concentration of professional services, information technology, and administrative functions in the capital reflects typical patterns of economic centralization seen in many European countries.

However, the explosive growth rates in provincial counties—particularly in manufacturing and transportation sectors—suggests a parallel trend of economic decentralization. Counties like Iași, Cluj, and Timiș are emerging as strong secondary hubs, potentially creating a more polycentric economic structure over time.

The high churn rates in some provincial areas, however, raise questions about the sustainability of this provincial growth. Businesses in these regions may face challenges related to market access, financing, or operational support that their capital-region counterparts navigate more successfully.

Overall Business Ecosystem Health

Nationally, December 2025 showed a net business loss of 4,292 companies , with 15,924 business exits (suspensions, dissolutions, and deregistrations) against 11,632 new registrations. This represents a health ratio of 0.73, indicating that for every 100 businesses exiting the market, only 73 new ones were created.

This negative net growth occurred despite the 45.87% year-over-year increase in registrations , highlighting that business exits also accelerated significantly during this period.

Conclusion

The December 2025 business registration data reveals Romania’s continuing economic centralization around Bucharest-Ilfov, tempered by strong growth momentum in several provincial centers. While the capital maintains its dominance in business creation and shows better business survival rates, provinces like Iași, Cluj, and Timiș are emerging as important secondary hubs with impressive growth trajectories.

The challenge for Romania’s economic development appears to be balancing the capital region’s continued strength with sustainable growth in provincial areas, particularly addressing the high business churn rates that threaten to undermine the impressive registration growth seen in many counties outside Bucharest-Ilfov.