Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
[RO1] National Institute of Statistics (NIS) (Romania)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Department of Business Register
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Institutul National de Statistica (INS) Bulevardul Libertatii 16., Bucharest 5 RO-050706
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
8 June 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
8 June 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
8 June 2026
3.1. Data description
Quarterly business demography (QBD) comprises data on registrations and bankruptcies of legal units in the country. Data are collected as absolute values. Key data sets for dissemination are indices of registrations of legal units and legal units that have started bankruptcy procedures. The sources of data are the Trade Register and the Statistical Business Register (SBR).
3.2. Classification system
NACE Rev. 2 clasification
3.3. Coverage - sector
Quarterly business demography observes legal units registered in one of the following sections and divisions of NACE Rev. 2: Mining and quarrying (B), Manufacturing (C), Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (D), Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (E), Construction (F), Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G), Transportation and storage (H), Accommodation and food service activities (I), Information and communication (J), Financial and insurance activities except holding companies (K), Real estate activities (L), Professional, scientific and technical activities (M), Administrative and support service activities (N), Education (P), Human health and social work activities (Q), Arts, entertainment and recreation (R), Repair of computers and personal and household goods (S95) and Other personal service activities (S96).
Data are disseminated in the following aggregates: B-S, B-E, F, G, H, I, J, K-N, P-S
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Registrations in the reference period are legal units that are newly registered in the Trade Register. Bankruptcies in the reference period are legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt by issuing a court declaration.
3.5. Statistical unit
The unit described by the published data is a legal unit registered for performing predominantly market activities on the territory of Romania.
3.6. Statistical population
The coverage is full, which means that it covers all market legal units (including sole proprietors) performing activities in sections B – Mining and quarrying to S – Other service activities (except section of activity O - Public administration and defence; compulsory social security and division 94 – Activities of membership organisation) by NACE Rev. 2.
3.7. Reference area
Variables refer to units that are registered on the territory of Romania.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The coverage of data is available from 3rd quarter 2015.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable because data are sent in absolute figures.
Unit of measure is the number of registrations and bankruptcies.
Quarter of a year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
REGULATION (EU) 2019/2152 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics and COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics: UE Regulations
Law No. 226/2009 on the organisation and functioning of official statistics in Romania;
Government Resolution No. 575 bis/1992 on creation of unitary classifications of general interest, which are provided in the general conception of informatization of Romania.
Government Resolution No. 656/1997 on the approval of National Classification of Economic Activities.
Government Resolution No. 53/1999 on the approval of the Classification of products and services related to activities.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are sent to Eurostat. In the present there are no other data transmission to international organisation like FMI, OECD and UN.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
All statistics collected and published by INS are governed by the statistical Law no. 226/2009 regarding the organisation of official statistics.
The Law specifies that: the official statistical services are authorised to ask for and receive free of charge statistical data and information from all natural and legal persons who are located, hold any kind of capital or carry out any type of activity on the Romanian territory.
Also under the provision of this law, INS cannot publish, or otherwise make available to one individual or organisation, statistics that could enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity.
INS has been repeatedly and publicly recognised by the government as fully intellectually independent: it decides by itself which data to collect, which methodology to use, and which results, methodological notes and commentaries are published. Under the provision of the statistical law, INS cannot publish, or otherwise make available to one individual or organisation, statistics that could enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. No government official outside the National Institute of Statistics has access to the data before release to the public.
The most important aspects on the organisation of the official statistics in Romanian are posted on the National Institute of Statistics Internet website NIS website. Copies of the statistical laws are available in Romanian from the library of the National Institute of Statistics, 16, Libertatii Avenue, Bucharest, District 5.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The data are not considered to be confidential
8.1. Release calendar
There is an advance release calendar of data dissemination which can be found on the website NIS website
8.2. Release calendar access
The release calendar is available on the NIS website Release calendar.
8.3. Release policy - user access
No organisation or person outside the INS has pre-release access to the published data. Data are transmitted quarterly to Eurostat as absolute values by e-DAMIS using SDMX format within 40 days (calendar days) from the end of the quarter.
Quarterly.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not available.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not available.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not available.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Data on quarterly registrations and bankruptcies are sent to Eurostat both to be used in European aggregates as well as to be released as national data.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not available.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
11.1. Quality assurance
The system of official statistics follows international and European quality standards. NIS Romania has adopted the UN Fundamental Principles for Official Statistics as well as the European Statistics Code of Practice.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Data on registrations and bankruptcies of legal units are produced in compliance with methodological requirements and standards. All statistics that are required by the current EU legislation are available.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users are ministries, higher education institutions, researchers, students, media, Eurostat, OECD etc.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
NIS Romania has conducted general surveys of user satisfaction in 2024, and plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose is to know the perception of users regarding the quality of the information they use and if their needs are covered.
The users’ specific needs are considered when methodological revisions are carried out in order to tailor the content of the survey to the specific requirements of its users, thereby increasing their levels of satisfaction.
The publication can be found at the following link:
Data are compliant with European legislation and Eurostat requirements. All breakdowns and variable forms are provided, according to the EU regulations in force.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The coverage rate is 100% due to the usage of the Trade Register.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
There are no errors, because all legal units from the administrative data source are available.
14.1. Timeliness
QBD data are prepared and transmitted to Eurostat within 40 days after the reference period.
14.2. Punctuality
The data are delivered on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data are comparable between countries. Results are based on the requirements of the EU Regulation, which is in use in all EU Member States.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data series are available from 2015. No major methodological changes were made.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
All data are coherent at different aggregation levels.
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data revisions follow the Revision Policy of the NIS Romania, which represent one of the key documents of the office. Calendar of standard revisions is being prepared together with the release calendar Revision policy
Notice about major changes concerning classification or base year is provided in advance of the change. For routine changes notice is given at the time the change is introduced. The same revision policy is applied nationally and in transmission to Eurostat
17.2. Data revision - practice
Usually, QBD data are not revised. Revisions may happen in case of major changes to methodology.
18.1. Source data
National Trade Register.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Quarterly.
18.3. Data collection
National Institute of Statistics has an agreement with Trade Register, so that data are collected quarterly.
18.4. Data validation
There are "validation rules" or "check routines", that check for correctness, meaningfulness, and security of data that are input to the system. The first validation rule at NIS level is to check the data integrity (checks for missing records). Before transmission to Eurostat the structure of data file and format is checked.
18.5. Data compilation
QBD data are compiled using information from Trade Register concerning registrations and bankruptcies. Absolute values are sent to Eurostat using the SDMX converter, based on ESTAT+BCS+1.0 -data structure.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable
Not applicable.
Quarterly business demography (QBD) comprises data on registrations and bankruptcies of legal units in the country. Data are collected as absolute values. Key data sets for dissemination are indices of registrations of legal units and legal units that have started bankruptcy procedures. The sources of data are the Trade Register and the Statistical Business Register (SBR).
8 June 2026
Registrations in the reference period are legal units that are newly registered in the Trade Register. Bankruptcies in the reference period are legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt by issuing a court declaration.
The unit described by the published data is a legal unit registered for performing predominantly market activities on the territory of Romania.
The coverage is full, which means that it covers all market legal units (including sole proprietors) performing activities in sections B – Mining and quarrying to S – Other service activities (except section of activity O - Public administration and defence; compulsory social security and division 94 – Activities of membership organisation) by NACE Rev. 2.
Variables refer to units that are registered on the territory of Romania.
Quarter of a year.
The coverage rate is 100% due to the usage of the Trade Register.
Unit of measure is the number of registrations and bankruptcies.
QBD data are compiled using information from Trade Register concerning registrations and bankruptcies. Absolute values are sent to Eurostat using the SDMX converter, based on ESTAT+BCS+1.0 -data structure.
National Trade Register.
Quarterly.
QBD data are prepared and transmitted to Eurostat within 40 days after the reference period.
Data are comparable between countries. Results are based on the requirements of the EU Regulation, which is in use in all EU Member States.
Data series are available from 2015. No major methodological changes were made.
