WRITTEN COMMENTS of the European Roma Rights Centre, Concerning Romania (For Consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the 53rd Session 10-28 November 2014) (European Roma Rights Center, 2014)
According to current unofficial estimates the total number of Roma in Romania may be up to two million people. A verified and accurate count remains elusive. In 2013, the National Statistics Institute published the results of the 2011 Census of the Population and Households, finding that the total population had dropped from 21.68 million inhabitants in 2002 to 20.12 million. Of the 18.18 million respondents who gave information about their ethnicity, the number of persons self-identifying as Roma had increased to 621,006 (3.3% of total respondents, an increase from 535,140 (2.46%) in the 2002 census). The ERRC's research in Romania shows that Roma face discrimination, social marginalisation and extreme poverty and challenges in many areas of life, including employment, housing, health and education