Nowhere are the two Romanias more visible than here. Private, connected Romania: fast, cheap internet that has entered expat folklore, household connectivity above the EU average. And public Romania, left behind: last in the EU in the population's basic digital skills and, year after year, last again in citizens' online interaction with the state. The counter window still beats the server.
The same on asphalt. The motorway network, stalled for almost two decades after 1990, has finally entered a real construction rhythm: the last six years added more kilometres than the first two post-communist decades combined. But the legacy is paid for: Romania's roads remain, statistically, the deadliest in the European Union, even as the death toll falls steadily.
The most watched symbol of modernisation. The chart tells its own story: almost nothing until 2007, then a slope that steepens visibly in recent years. Romania is finally building, though from a historic deficit against its neighbours that has yet to be closed.
Source: Eurostat
· Dataset: road_if_motorwa
· Open source
Road deaths
per million inhabitants
improvingrecent trend, computed over 2017–2024
rank 27 of 27 in the EU (2024) — last place in the EU
The price of missing infrastructure and road indiscipline, paid in lives: Romania is, year after year, the EU country with the most road deaths relative to population. The trend is nevertheless steadily downward: roads are getting safer, just more slowly than anywhere else in the Union.
Source: Eurostat
· Dataset: tran_sf_roadus
· Open source
Households with internet access
% of households
slowly improvingrecent trend, computed over 2018–2025
rank 11 of 27 in the EU (2025)
The quiet success story: from a nearly offline country in the mid-2000s, Romania has reached near-total connectivity, with speeds among Europe's highest at prices among its lowest. Private infrastructure proved it can be done.
Source: Eurostat
· Dataset: isoc_ci_in_h
· Open source
Online interaction with public authorities
% of people aged 16–74, last 12 months
improvingrecent trend, computed over 2022–2025
the vertical dotted line marks a methodology change
rank 27 of 27 in the EU (2025) — last place in the EU
The flip side of the excellent internet: citizens use it for everything except the state, because the state is barely online. Romania sits permanently last in the EU, far below the European average. Growth exists, but at this pace the gap closes in decades.
Source: Eurostat
· Dataset: isoc_ciegi_ac
· Open source
Basic digital skills
% of people aged 16–74
short seriesrecent trend, computed over 2021–2025
rank 27 of 27 in the EU (2025) — last place in the EU
How many adults manage elementary digital tasks, from an e-mail attachment to an online payment. With over two thirds of the population below this bar, Romania ranks last in the EU: the region's best internet infrastructure, used below its potential.
Source: Eurostat
· Dataset: isoc_sk_dskl_i21
· Open source