A reference page. Every number here is verifiable — where it depends on the year or the methodology, we say which.
The city
- 271,692 — inhabitants of the municipality, 2021 census.
- 452,732 — inhabitants of the Iași Metropolitan Zone, 2021 census.
- 3 — Iași's rank among Romanian cities by population, after Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca.
- 93.9 km² — total area of the municipality.
- 71.1 km² — built-up area.
- ≈5,330 — inhabitants per km².
- 45–95 m — altitude range.
- 7 — the city's hills: Breazu, Bucium, Cetățuia, Copou, Galata, Repedea, Șorogari.
- ≈20 km — distance to the border with the Republic of Moldova.
History
- 6 October 1408 — first documentary mention, in a commercial privilege from Alexandru cel Bun.
- 1434 — first documentation of the princely court.
- 1564 — the year Alexandru Lăpușneanu moved the Moldavian capital from Suceava to Iași.
- 1643 — *Varlaam's Homiliary* appears, the first book printed in Romanian in Moldavia.
- 1641 — the year Vasile Lupu brought the relics of Saint Parascheva to Moldavia.
- 5 January 1859 — Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected ruler of Moldavia, in Iași.
- 1859–1862 — the period when Iași and Bucharest were both capitals.
- 1916–1918 — the years Iași served as capital of Romania.
- 13,266 — the approximate number of Jews killed in the pogrom of 27–29 June 1941.
The "first in Romania" institutions
- 1840 — the National Theatre, Romania's first.
- 1856 — the Botanical Garden, Romania's first.
- 1860 — "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University, Romania's first modern university.
- 1863 — the Junimea literary society is founded.
- 1879 — the medical school that would become "Grigore T. Popa" University is founded.
- 1833–1834 — Copou Garden is laid out, the country's oldest public park.
The Palace of Culture
- 1906–1925 — the construction years.
- Ion D. Berindey — the architect, working with Filip Xenopol and Grigore Cerchez.
- 298 — the number of rooms.
- ≈36,000 m² — the built surface.
- 3 — the faces of the tower clock.
- 3.25 m — the diameter of each face.
- 12 — the zodiac signs in the clock's stained glass.
- 8 — the bells that play *Hora Unirii* on every hour.
- 4 — the museums housed there today, under the "Moldova" National Museum Complex.
The Metropolitan Cathedral
- 1833–1887 — the construction years, with a two-decade interruption after the central vault collapsed in 1857.
- 23 April 1887 — the consecration, attended by King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta.
- 250+ — the figures in the iconostasis painted by Gheorghe Tattarescu, completed in July 1886.
- 1889 — the year the relics of Saint Parascheva were moved here from Trei Ierarhi.
- 14 October — the date of the annual pilgrimage.
The universities
- 5 — state universities.
- 60,000+ — students in the city.
- 24,000+ — students at "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University (2022–2023).
- ≈800 — academic staff at UAIC (2022–2023).
- ≈10,400 — students at "Grigore T. Popa" University.
Transport
- 9 — CTP tram lines: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13.
- ≈140 km — length of the tram network.
- 40+ — bus lines, urban and metropolitan.
- ≈449 km — length of the bus network.
- 0 — metro lines.
- 4 lei — the urban ticket, valid 120 minutes (fare in force since 1 February 2025).
- 99 lei — the fine for travelling without a valid ticket.
- 8 km — the distance from the centre to the airport.
- 7 lei/hour — the parking tariff in the central zone.
Climate (1991–2020 normals)
- 10.5 °C — mean annual temperature.
- −2.1 °C — January average.
- 22.4 °C — July average.
- 548 mm — annual precipitation.
- −36.3 °C — record low (February).
- 41.3 °C — record high (August).
Where the figures come from
Every number above has a verifiable source, and it is useful to know which category it belongs to:
- The 2021 census — municipal and metropolitan population, area, density.
- The 1991–2020 climate normals — average temperatures, precipitation, recorded extremes.
- Historical documents — the first mention (1408), the move of the capital (1564), Cuza's election (1859).
- Operators and institutions — CTP fares (in force since 1 February 2025), Iași City Hall's parking tariffs, building dates and dimensions.
Where a figure depends on the year or the methodology, we have said which explicitly. A statistic without a year is not a statistic but an impression.
The figures we do not publish
You will not find here: annual tourist numbers, IT's share of the local economy, the average salary, hotel room counts or occupancy rates. All of them circulate in the press, but none has a single, updated, verifiable public source for Iași.
This is a deliberate choice. A "city by the numbers" page is exactly where bad data propagate most easily: someone quotes it, someone else quotes the quotation, and two years later the number is treated as fact without ever having been checked.
The most useful figure
If you keep only one: 271,692 in the municipality, 452,732 in the metropolitan zone. The gap between them — nearly 180,000 people — explains the morning traffic, the pressure on services, and why the property market moved outside the city.
In short
- 271,692 inhabitants in the municipality · 452,732 in the metropolitan zone (2021 census).
- 6 October 1408 — the first documentary mention, as a customs point.
- 1564–1859 — capital of Moldavia. 1916–1918 — capital of Romania.
- 298 rooms in the Palace of Culture, across some 36,000 m², with 8 bells.
- 9 tram lines over roughly 140 km, 0 metro lines.
- 10.5 °C annual mean · −36.3 °C record low · 41.3 °C record high.
- 60,000+ students at 5 state universities.
- 7 hills: Breazu, Bucium, Cetățuia, Copou, Galata, Repedea, Șorogari.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the oldest "first in Romania" institution in Iași?
The National Theatre, founded in 1840, is Romania's first national theatre. It is followed by the Botanical Garden (1856) and the University (1860).
How many rooms does the Palace of Culture have?
298 rooms, across roughly 36,000 square metres of built surface.
What does the Palace of Culture clock play?
*Hora Unirii*, sounded by eight bells in the tower, on every hour.
How many tram lines does Iași have?
Nine: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13, over roughly 140 kilometres of track.
What are the temperature records in Iași?
The record low is −36.3 °C, in February, and the record high 41.3 °C, in August.
