Wanderlust World Wanderlust World As of 2019, approximately 24 million people speak Romanian as a native language. It is the official language of Romania and Moldova and holds recognized minority status in several neighboring countries.
| Country | Native Speakers | % of Population |
|---|---|---|
| Romania | ~19 million | 90.5% |
| Moldova | ~2.6 million | 75% |
| Ukraine (Chernivtsi, Odesa oblasts) | ~150,000–300,000 | Minority |
| Serbia (Vojvodina) | ~30,000 | Minority |
| Hungary | ~35,000 | Minority |
| Diaspora (Italy, Spain, Germany, US, Canada, etc.) | ~1–2 million | — |
Romanian is a Romance language—the only one in Eastern Europe—descended from Vulgar Latin with significant Slavic, Greek, Turkish, and Hungarian lexical influence.
With 24 million native speakers, Romanian ranks ~20th globally by native speaker count—roughly on par with Dutch, Swedish, or Hausa.