If you lived in Romania instead of Turkey, you would:

Health

see 47.8% more spent on your healthcare

Turkey spends $1,769 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

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have 62.1% more doctors per person

Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.

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live 1.0 years less

In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 12.7% more likely to be obese

In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 29.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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make 21.2% more money

Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

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be 41.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Turkey, 13.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.

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Life

be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Turkey, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 25.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Turkey, approximately 8.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 31.8% fewer children

In Turkey, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 33.4% more on healthcare

Turkey spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 96.9% less coastline

Turkey has a total of 7,200 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

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Safety

be 65.6% less likely to be murdered

Turkey has a homicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 47.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 52.8% more home broadband

Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

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live with 84.1% less strain on fresh water

Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 30.7% less electricity

Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 30.9% less CO2

Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 17.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Romania compared to Turkey? See an in-depth size comparison.

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