Romanians Are Buying Less and Less: Food and Fuel Sales Drop, INS Data Shows

The National Institute of Statistics (INS) has published data showing that Romanians continued to buy less in the first five months of 2026, across food products, non-food products, and fuels alike.

A decline of over 5% in the first five months

In the January–May 2026 period, retail trade turnover volumes fell by 5.5% in the gross series and by 5.3% in the seasonally adjusted series, compared with the same period last year.

• Non-food products: down 7.9% (gross series) and 7.7% (seasonally adjusted series)
• Food, beverages, and tobacco: down 3.7% (gross series) and 3.5% (seasonally adjusted series)
• Fuels: down 2.8% (gross series) and 1.7% (seasonally adjusted series)

A slight recovery in May compared to April

Compared with April, retail trade recorded a modest improvement in May, with turnover volumes rising by 1.2%. The increase was driven by sales of non-food products, which climbed by 3.2%, and by food, beverages, and tobacco, which advanced by 0.5%.

The only segment to record a month-on-month decline was fuels, which fell by 2.3%.

In the seasonally adjusted series, the monthly increase stood at 1.3%, supported by non-food products (+2.3%) and food products (+2.2%). Fuel trade remained in negative territory, however, with a decline of 0.5%.

Consumer spending remains below 2025 levels

Although May brought a slight recovery relative to April, consumer spending remains lower than a year ago. Compared with May 2025, retail trade turnover volumes fell by 4.5% (gross series).

• Fuels: down 5.5%
• Non-food products: down 4.8%
• Food, beverages, and tobacco: down 3.5%

In the seasonally adjusted series, the annual decline stood at 4.7%, driven by a 5.3% fall in non-food product sales, a 4.3% drop in food sales, and a 2% decrease in fuel trade.

The INS data thus confirm that, whilst a slight recovery was observed in May compared with the previous month, Romanians continue to spend less than they did in the previous year.