Romanians in diaspora take on an essential role in financially supporting their families back home, but they don’t always manage to ensure long-term protection for their loved ones and for the belongings they still own in the country.
More than two-thirds (68.6%) of Romanians living abroad do not have any form of insurance in Romania, not even the mandatory home insurance, according to a nationwide online survey initiated by Allianz-Tiriac, despite the fact that nearly a quarter say they own a house or apartment in the country, and approximately 13% still own a car left to their family. In contrast, once they settle abroad, over 72% of Romanians ended up having various forms of insurance in the countries they’ve moved to. This trend is largely explained by the strong protection culture and the more developed insurance industry in many European countries where Romanians choose to live, either permanently or temporarily. Thus, nearly 46% of Romanians living abroad have health insurance, over 43% have car insurance, almost 30% have home insurance, and 23% have life insurance policy.
“Romanians quickly learn how to protect themselves when they live in an environment that offers support and where they discover a culture centered on financial security. It’s not leaving the country that changes them, but the context in which they are shown that protection is a norm, not a luxury. The fact that, abroad, the same person ends up insuring their health, home, or family shows that the need for safety exists, it just entails a framework and a culture that encourages this focus on protection. In Romania, as an industry, I believe our mission is to change the way we talk about protection: not as a cost or an obligation, but as an act of care, responsibility, and wisdom. We have the opportunity to make financial protection a natural choice for any family that wants a better future”, says Virgil Soncutean, CEO, Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari.
In today’s volatile and uncertain economic context, families in the diaspora remain an important source of support for Romania, but short-term assistance is not enough to build lasting financial stability. Nearly four in ten respondents to the Allianz-Tiriac survey say they have close family members currently living or working abroad, and in more than half of these cases, those family members are permanently settled there.
Two in ten Romanians say they receive money or goods from relatives in the diaspora and, for one-third of them, this financial support comes monthly. In another 40% of cases, assistance is offered occasionally, when urgent needs arise. Only 11% of beneficiaries say the support they receive is enough to cover their current expenses, while nearly 16% say it is not sufficient but they manage, and 3.5% report facing financial difficulties. In addition to financial support, families in Romania also receive other forms of support from the diaspora. Approximately 35% say their relatives offer advice and useful information, 32% say they are frequently visited, and a smaller share, of around 5%, benefit from health-related support, such as covering medical expenses or paying for insurance.
When it comes to the challenges that limit the ability of those living in the diaspora to offer more support to their families in Romania, the most frequently mentioned are the physical distance (almost 46%), the financial difficulties they themselves face in the country where they’ve settled temporarily or permanently (30%), and the lack of adequate life or health insurance that could provide their family with reliable financial support in the event of an unexpected incident (nearly 7%).
The Allianz-Tiriac survey was conducted in April 2025, at a national level, on a total sample of 1,011 internet users in Romania. Approximately 52% of respondents are men, predominantly aged between 18 and 44, and nearly 59% have a monthly income of over 4,000 lei.
***
About Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari
Allianz-Tiriac is part of the German Allianz Group, one of the world's largest financial services and insurance providers and the most valuable insurance brand globally, according to the latest Interbrand ranking. Over its 30 years of activity, Allianz-Tiriac has contributed €20 billion to the Romanian economy. Its total economic impact is equivalent to 0.6% of Romania’s GDP over the analyzed period, an amount that could translate into up to 80 modern hospitals, 2,000 new schools, 2,000 kilometers of highway, or 130,000 social housing units.
