Location map: Craiova
Locality · Dolj County

Craiova: population and statistics

Craiova has a population of 278,599 (2026) across 85.1 km², or 3,274 people per km². It ranks 8 of 3,181 localities by population. Its population is falling: −9.0% between 2016 and 2026.

  • 278,599 residents
  • 85.1 km²
  • 3,274 people/km²

Key points

Among the 111 localities in Dolj County, Craiova ranks No. 1 by population.

Doctors per 1,000 inhabitants: 11.53 ‰ in Craiova, compared with an average of 5.69 ‰ in Dolj County and 3.53 ‰ nationally.

Craiova: the most common activity among active businesses is Retail trade (except motor vehicles) (7,410 businesses).

Craiova in numbers

Population (by registered residence)
278,599
ranked 8 of 3,181
−9.0%over 10 years
2016–2026
Population density
3,274people/km²
ranked 8 of 3,163
Area
85.1km²
ranked 858 of 3,181
Doctors per 1,000 inhabitants
11.53‰
ranked 5 of 2,833
Existing dwellings
122,360
ranked 7 of 3,181
School population (children, pupils and students) per 1,000 inhabitants
268‰
ranked 28 of 3,158
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants
425‰
ranked 61 of 3,163

Where is Craiova?

Population of Craiova over time

270,000280,000290,000300,000310,000201620182020202220242026
Population, 2016–2026

Craiova had 306,106 residents in 2016 and 278,599 in 2026.

YearPopulation (by registered residence)
2021296,931
2022293,847
2023290,340
2024286,029
2025281,011
2026278,599

Did you know?

All indicators for Craiova

Value for the locality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the locality between the lowest and highest value in the country.

CraiovaNational medianHover over or tap a bar to see what it shows.

Population

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
People settling in the municipality per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)13.3 ‰17.6 ‰16.0 ‰ranked 2,189 of 3,163
People leaving the municipality per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)18.8 ‰18.6 ‰17.3 ‰ranked 1,168 of 3,163
Live births per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)5.6 ‰6.7 ‰6.9 ‰ranked 2,238 of 3,157
Deaths per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)10.0 ‰12.8 ‰13.0 ‰ranked 2,515 of 3,163

Housing

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Length of the drinking-water network per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)2.76 km5.11 km7.67 kmranked 2,490 of 2,728
Building permits for residential buildings per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)0.99 ‰2.10 ‰1.53 ‰ranked 1,640 of 2,438
Existing dwellings (2025)122,360309,49710,177,161ranked 7 of 3,181
Dwellings per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)439.2 ‰469.0 ‰484.8 ‰ranked 2,166 of 3,163
Average living floor area per dwelling (m²) (2025)50.3 m²51.3 m²50.3 m²ranked 1,576 of 3,163
Dwellings completed in the year per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)1.83 ‰2.46 ‰1.30 ‰ranked 706 of 1,926

Energy

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Length of the gas distribution network per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)1.93 km2.64 km6.17 kmranked 916 of 1,006
Natural gas distributed per inhabitant (m³) (2025)332 m³5,466 m³325,688 m³ranked 370 of 1,023

Economy

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Active companies in the trade register per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)76.9 ‰55.2 ‰29.4 ‰ranked 136 of 3,163
Companies registered in the last 12 months per 1,000 inhabitants (2026)4.32 ‰3.58 ‰2.10 ‰ranked 418 of 3,163

Employment

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants (2024)425 ‰215 ‰71 ‰ranked 61 of 3,163
Registered unemployed as a share of labour resources (working-age population) (2026)0.8%5.0%2.3%ranked 2,620 of 3,163

Tourism

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Tourist overnight stays per inhabitant (2025)1.0 nights0.80.4ranked 342 of 1,250
Tourist arrivals per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)594 ‰496 ‰200 ‰ranked 326 of 1,250
Tourist accommodation places per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)7.5 ‰7.0 ‰11.8 ‰ranked 888 of 1,362

Environment

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Drinking water distributed per inhabitant (m³) (2025)37.1 m³29.3 m³27.2 m³ranked 795 of 2,656
Length of the sewer network per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)2.22 km3.38 km4.05 kmranked 1,282 of 1,695

Health

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
Doctors per 1,000 inhabitants (2024)11.53 ‰5.69 ‰0.52 ‰ranked 5 of 2,833
Family doctors per 1,000 inhabitants (2024)0.71 ‰0.65 ‰0.46 ‰ranked 451 of 2,807
Pharmacists per 1,000 inhabitants (2024)2.37 ‰1.39 ‰0.47 ‰ranked 12 of 2,248

Education

IndicatorCraiovaDolj CountyNationalPosition?Rank
School population (children, pupils and students) per 1,000 inhabitants (2025)268 ‰172 ‰91 ‰ranked 28 of 3,158
Education units per 10,000 inhabitants (2025)3.2 per 10,000 inh.3.2 per 10,000 inh.3.6 per 10,000 inh.ranked 1,781 of 3,122

Businesses by activity: Craiova

Active businesses in the business register with a recorded activity, by section and by activity (NACE Rev. 2). Only activities with at least 3 businesses are shown.

By industry section

Most common activities

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Craiova?

Craiova has 278,599 residents (2026), ranking 8 of 3,181 localities.

How big is Craiova?

Craiova covers 85.1 km², with a density of 3,274 people per km².

Is the population of Craiova growing?

Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Craiova went from 306,106 to 278,599, a change of −9.0%.

Where is Craiova?

Craiova is in Dolj County. Latitude 44.333, longitude 23.817.

Doctors per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Craiova?

In Craiova, “Doctors per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 11.53 ‰ (2024), ranking 5 of 2,833 localities; the national median is 0.52 ‰.

Existing dwellings: what is the figure for Craiova?

In Craiova, “Existing dwellings” stands at 122,360 (2025), ranking 7 of 3,181 localities; the national median is 1,464.

Which localities border Craiova?

The nearest to Craiova are Ghercești (6.7 km), Șimnicu de Sus (8.2 km), Cârcea (8.8 km), Malu Mare (9.3 km), Ișalnița (9.3 km).