At the end of 19th century the population of the Danube Delta was 12,000 inhabitants and before second war the population was about 14,000 inhabitants.
In DDBR the human communities are grouped in 25 human settlements (a town – Sulina) with a total population of 14,583 inhabitants in 2002, from which 68.5% in rural settlements and 31.5% in Sulina. Because of the small area of dry land (most of the Danube Delta territory is flooded every year), the localities are concentrated along the Danube arms and their surface is reduced.
The active population in the DDBR represents 35.3%, the occupation rate being 81.4%. The main activities are:
fishing and pisciculture (15.3%),
agriculture, forestry (29%),
industry, construction and commerce (15.7%),
tourism, transport, communications (15.4%),
health system (1.9%),
education, culture (5.7%),
public administration (13.5%)
other activities (3.6%).
The unemployment rate is 18.6%, unevenly distributed.