Foreign direct investment has been a major driver of Romania’s economic transformation over the past few decades, supporting the development of key industries. These investments has played a pivotal role in Romania’s economic transformation and development over the past few decades. Major global corporations from sectors like— automotive, industrial equipment manufacturing, business services and IT have established operations in Romania, leveraging the country’s strategic location, EU membership advantages and skilled yet cost-competitive talent pool.
Sectors that have grown substantially on the back of FDI include automotive – with major investments from companies like Dacia Renault and Ford amounting to over $3 billion. This has made Romania an important export hub for these automakers. Similarly—the industrial equipment manufacturing sector has flourished with investments from multinationals like Emerson Electric, Ingersoll Rand and General Electric totaling over $1 billion.
The fast-growing IT industry has also emerged as a major magnet for FDI. Over $10 billion investments from global tech giants and startups have helped develop Romania into a leading technology and innovation center in Central and Eastern Europe. Today—IT contributes over 5% to Romania’s GDP and is the largest private sector employer.
However— to realize its full FDI potential— Romania must address challenges like bureaucratic inefficiencies and political instability that dissuade some investors. Infrastructure upgrades and business reforms can help optimize the benefits of FDI.
Key sectors that have benefited tremendously from FDI inflows include automotive with investments from Dacia Renault, Ford and others; industrial equipment manufacturing with investors like Emerson, Ingersoll Rand and General Electric; and the booming IT industry attracting global tech giants and startups alike. FDI has supported job creation, skills and technology transfers as well as exports growth. For example— the IT sector exports doubled to over $5 billion from 2017-2021 which is driven significantly by FDI.
