Romania’s retail sales volume (chart) declined by 3.6% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting subdued private consumption, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

In seasonally adjusted terms, retail sales stagnated at levels around 4% below those recorded in the first half of 2025 and in the final quarter of 2024. Measured through this indicator, private consumption returned broadly to 2023 levels, while non-food sales remained slightly above that benchmark.

The annual contraction was most pronounced in the food segment, where sales fell by 5.1% y/y in Q4. Non-food sales proved more resilient, declining by 3.3% y/y, while sales of automotive fuels decreased by 1.7% y/y, indicating a smaller impact from the erosion of households’ real incomes in this category.

For the full year 2025, retail sales edged down by 0.2% y/y, following a cumulative increase of around 10% over the previous two years, INS data show.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, in seasonally adjusted terms, the retail sales index dropped by 1.4% in Q4, after a sharper 2.3% q/q decline in the third quarter. INS data indicate that this dynamic was influenced by strong sales in July, which rose by 5.4% y/y ahead of the value-added tax increase implemented in August. Since August, retail sales have remained broadly stable in seasonally adjusted terms.

The evolution of retail sales closely mirrored developments in household purchasing power (chart). According to INS, the average real wage contracted by 4.2% y/y in the third quarter of 2025 and by around 5% y/y in the fourth quarter, amid persistent inflation and unchanged public-sector wages and pensions.

Compared with earlier periods, retail sales volumes in recent months were about 4% below the average levels recorded in late 2024 and the first part of 2025, but broadly in line with the average level observed in 2023.

INS data also highlight differences across consumption categories. Food sales currently stand slightly below their 2023 average, while non-food sales are around 10% higher. Automotive fuel sales remain above typical 2023 levels, when high energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led households to curb mobility.