Demographic statistics are among the most popular data Eurostat produces, and they are important for almost every area of policy.

This publication shows what official European statistics can tell us about how the population is developing, ageing, and much more. It provides possibilities to investigate EU and country level data and compare trends over several years.

Before you dive in, why don’t you take a guess how the population of your country is projected to develop until 2100? Test your knowledge

Population structure

This section presents population size and density, the ratio of women to men as well as ageing.

A growing population until 2020

EU population growth interrupted in 2020

On 1 January 2022, there were 446.7 million people living in the European Union (EU). The most populous EU Member State was Germany (83.2 million, 19% of the EU total), followed by France (67.9 million, 15%), Italy (59.0 million, 13%), Spain (47.4 million, 11%) and Poland (37.7 million, 8%). In total, these five Member States accounted for two thirds of the EU population. At the other end of the range, the least populous EU Member States were Malta (521 000 people, corresponding to 0.1% of the EU total), Luxembourg (645 000, also 0.1%) and Cyprus (905 000, 0.2%).

During the period 2001 to 2020, the total population of the EU increased from 429 million to 447 million, a growth of 4%. Seventeen Member States showed increases in their population during this period and ten recorded decreases. The largest relative increases were recorded in Luxembourg (43%), Malta (31%), Ireland (30%) and Cyprus (27%), while the largest relative decreases were observed in Lithuania (−20%) and Latvia (−19%).

Between 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2022, however, the population of the EU decreased by 585 000 people. The highest decreases in absolute terms were observed in Italy (−611 000, corresponding to −1.0%) and Poland (−304 000, −0.8%), and in relative terms in Croatia (−4.8%, −196 000) and Greece (−2.4%, −259 000). Overall, ten countries showed decreases in their population during the two-year period 2020-2021, while the remaining seventeen had increases. France recorded the highest absolute increase (552 000, 0.8%) and Luxembourg the highest relative increase (3.1%, 19 000).

Population density in the EU ranges from 18 to 1 657 people per km²

The population density, meaning the number of people per square kilometre (km²), was on average 109 persons per km² in the EU in 2022. This value varied significantly between Member States. The highest population density was observed in Malta (1 657 persons per km²), followed at a distance by the Netherlands (513) and Belgium (381). At the other end of the range were Finland (18 persons per km²) and Sweden (26) with the lowest population densities.

Comparing 2022 with 2001, there was an increase in the population density in around two thirds of the Member States, with the largest growths in Malta (from 1 245 to 1 657 persons per km²), Luxembourg (from 171 to 248) and Belgium (339 to 381). Romania (96 to 82) and Lithuania (55 to 45) had the largest decreases. On average in the EU, the population density increased from 104 persons per km² to 109 during this period.

More women than men

Almost 5% more women than men in the EU

On 1 January 2022, there were 228 million women and 218 million men in the EU. This corresponds to a ratio of 104.6 women per 100 men, which means that there were 4.6% more women than men. There were more women than men in all Member States, except Malta, Luxembourg, Sweden and Slovenia. The highest rates were found in Latvia (16% more women than men) and Lithuania (15% more).

For comparison, on 1 January 2002 there were 5.4% more women than men in the EU, with a minimum ratio of 101.2 women per 100 men in Ireland and a maximum of 117.7 in Latvia. During the period 2002-2022 the highest increase in the rate was recorded in Portugal (from 107.1 to 110.3 women per 100 men), while the highest decrease was in Malta (from 102.0 to 92.9 women per 100 men).

An ageing population

Share of those aged 80+ almost doubled between 2002 and 2022

Over the period 2002-2022, the share of persons aged 65 and over increased in all Member States. At EU level, the increase was 5 percentage points (pp), from 16% to 21%. The highest increase was in Finland (8 pp) and the lowest in Luxembourg (1 pp). In 2022, Italy and Portugal (both 24%) and Finland and Greece (both 23%) had the highest shares, while Ireland and Luxembourg (both 15%) had the lowest.

Looking more specifically at the group aged 80 and over, their share grew in all Member States, at EU level by 2.6 pp, from 3.5% in 2002 to 6.1% in 2022. The highest increase was in Greece (+3.5 pp, from 3.7% to 7.2%) and the lowest in Sweden (+0.2 pp., from 5.2% to 5.4%).

A decrease of young people below 20

Over the period 2002-2022, the share of young people (aged 0 to 19 years old) decreased in all Member States. At EU level, the decrease was 3 pp, from 23% to 20%. The highest decreases were in Malta (−9 pp) and Cyprus (−8 pp) and the lowest in Sweden, Belgium and Spain (all −1 pp). In 2022, the highest shares of young people were in Ireland (26%) and France (24%), and the lowest in Malta and Italy (both 18%).

Concerning children (those aged below 15), the decrease in the EU was 2 pp, from 17% in 2002 to 15% in 2022. A decrease was observed in all Member States, except Czechia (+0.2 pp), with highest decreases in Malta (−6 pp) and Cyprus (−5 pp). In 2022, the share of children and adolescents was highest in Ireland (20%) and Sweden (18%) and lowest in Italy, Portugal and Malta (all 13%).

Median age of the population in the EU: 44 years

Another way of analysing the ageing of society in the EU is by looking at the median age of the population. The median age has increased in the period 2002 to 2022: it was 38.7 years in 2002, 41.9 years in 2012 and 44.4 years in 2022. This means an increase of 5.7 years in the median age in the EU during this period.

Among the EU Member States, the highest median age in 2022 was observed in Italy (48.0 years), followed by Portugal (46.8), Greece (46.1) and Germany (45.8), while the lowest were recorded in Cyprus (38.3 years), Ireland (38.8), Luxembourg (39.7) and Malta (40.4). During the period 2002 to 2022, the median age increased most in Portugal (8.6 years), followed by Romania (8.5), Greece and Lithuania (both 7.8).

Population change

This section focuses on births and deaths, age of mothers and number of children, as well as life expectancy and excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fewer births, more deaths

Live births decreasing

In the EU, the crude birth rate, showing the number of live births per 1 000 persons, was 10.2 in 2001, went up to 10.6 in 2008 and has decreased since then to 9.1 in 2021. Among the Member States, this pattern differed, with decreases in sixteen Member States and increases in ten during this period, while the rate remained unchanged in Bulgaria. In 2021, the highest crude birth rates were found in Ireland (12.0 live births per 1 000 persons), Cyprus (11.4), France and Sweden (both 11.0) and the lowest in Italy (6.8), Spain (7.1) and Portugal (7.7).

Number of deaths increasing

The crude death rate (number of deaths per 1 000 persons) was 9.9 in 2001 in the EU, decreased to 9.7 in 2004 and 2006, and has since then been fluctuating to reach 10.4 in 2019, 11.6 in 2020 and 11.9 in 2021. In 22 Member States, there was an increase in the rate during this period and in five a decrease. In 2021, the highest crude death rates were observed in Bulgaria (21.7 deaths per 1 000 persons), Latvia (18.4), Romania (17.5) and Lithuania (17.0), and the lowest in Ireland (6.8), Luxembourg (7.0), Cyprus and Malta (both 8.0).

A negative natural population change in the EU since 2012

As mentioned earlier, the population in the EU grew from 1 January 2001 until 1 January 2020, and then declined during the next two years. EU’s natural population change (difference between live births and deaths) has, however, been negative already since 2012. This is in large part due to the ageing population described earlier in this publication, as well as to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

In 2001, the crude rate of natural population change was +0.4 per 1 000 persons and remained positive until 2011. The rate turned negative in 2012 and has continuously decreased since 2016 to reach −1.1 in 2019, −2.5 in 2020 and −2.7 in 2021. The highest negative crude rates of natural population change in 2021 were observed in Bulgaria (−13.1), Latvia (−9.1) and Lithuania (−8.7), and the highest positive ones were found in Ireland (+5.2), Cyprus (+3.5) and Luxembourg (+3.4).

Older mothers

Number of children per woman mostly decreasing since 2016

The number of live births per woman grew from 1.43 live births per woman in 2001 to around 1.57 in 2008-2010, and then slightly decreased to 1.51 in 2013, before rebounding modestly to 1.57 in 2016 and then falling again to reach 1.50 in 2020. In 2021 the value increased to 1.53.

In 2021, among the Member States, France (1.84 live births per woman) had the highest total fertility rate, followed by Czechia (1.83) and Romania (1.81). The lowest rates were found in Malta (1.13), Spain (1.19) and Italy (1.25).

Over the period 2001-2021, the largest decreases in the total fertility rate were observed in Malta (from 1.48 live births per woman in 2001 to 1.13 in 2021), Luxembourg (from 1.66 to 1.38) and Finland (from 1.73 to 1.46), while the highest increases were found in Czechia (from 1.15 in 2001 to 1.83 in 2021) and Romania (from 1.27 to 1.81).

Age of women at birth of first child increasing to 29.7 years

The age of first-time mothers in the EU has increased: in 2013 the mean age of women at birth of their first child was 28.8 years. This increased every year to reach 29.7 in 2021. There was an increase in this mean age in all Member States during the period 2001-2021: the highest increases of more than 4 years were in Estonia and Lithuania, while the lowest increase of around 1 year was in France. In 2021, the oldest first-time mothers were found in Italy and Spain (31.6 years) and the youngest in Bulgaria (26.5) and Romania (27.1).

Share of births to mothers aged 40 and over more than doubled between 2001 and 2021

Another way of analysing fertility trends is to look at the share of live births to mothers aged 40 and over in total live births in a year: in the EU, this share more than doubled between 2001 and 2021, from 2.4% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2021. The proportion of live births to mothers aged at least 40 increased in all Member States during this period. In 2021, the largest share was found in Spain (10.7% of all live births), followed by Greece (9.7%), Italy (8.7%), Portugal (8.5%) and Ireland (8.4%), and the lowest in Romania and Lithuania (both 3.3%).

Women live longer

Increase in life expectancy of 3.7 years between 2002 and 2019, decrease of 1.2 years between 2019 and 2021

The population in the EU is ageing and one reason is the increasing life expectancy – the population live longer and longer. Life expectancy at birth rose rapidly during the last century due to a number of factors, including reductions in infant mortality, rising living standards, improved lifestyles and better education, as well as advances in healthcare and medicine. In 2002, the life expectancy at birth in the EU was 77.6 years, a value which increased by 3.7 years to 81.3 in 2019.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy fell in 2020 to 80.4 years and in 2021 to 80.1 years. It fell also in all Member States, except Denmark and Luxembourg, where it stayed the same between 2019 and 2021. The largest decreases were observed in Slovakia (from 77.8 in 2019 to 74.6 in 2021) and Bulgaria (from 75.1 to 71.4).

To compare with earlier years, life expectancy rose by 2.5 years at EU level between 2002 and 2021, despite the decrease following the COVID-19 pandemic. All Member States, except Bulgaria (decrease of 0.5 years), recorded an increase from 2001 to 2021, with the largest increases in Estonia (from 70.9 years in 2001 to 77.2 in 2021) and Ireland (from 77.2 to 82.4).

In 2021, the highest life expectancies at birth were estimated to be in Spain (83.3) and Sweden (83.1), and the lowest in Bulgaria (71.4) and Romania (72.8).

Women live on average 5.7 years longer than men

Women live longer than men: data for 2021 show that in the EU life expectancy at birth for women was 82.9 years and 77.2 for men, a difference of 5.7 years. This was the case in all Member States, with the largest differences in Latvia (9.8; women 78.0 and men 68.2) and Lithuania (9.3; 78.8 and 69.5), and the smallest in the Netherlands (3.3; 83.0 and 79.7) and Malta (3.5; 84.3 and 80.8).

To compare with earlier years, the difference in life expectancy at birth between women and men was 6.6 years in the EU in 2002 (women 80.9 and men 74.3). In the Member States in 2001, the highest differences were in Lithuania (11.5; 77.4 and 65.9) and Latvia (11.4; 75.8 and 64.4 in 2002) and the lowest in Sweden (4.6; 82.2 and 77.6), Malta (4.6; 81.2 and 76.6) and Denmark (4.6; 79.3 and 74.7).

In 2021, the highest life expectancies at birth for women were estimated in Spain (86.2) and France (85.5), and the lowest in Bulgaria (75.1) and Romania (76.6). For men, the highest life expectancies at birth were estimated in Sweden (81.3) and Malta (80.8) and the lowest in Bulgaria (68.0) and Latvia (68.2).

Around 1.76 million additional deaths in the EU between March 2020 and January 2023, compared with the 2016-2019 average

In April 2020, a new European data collection on weekly death counts was launched. The main reason for this launch was to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. By comparing the weekly deaths with the average for the same period from 2016 to 2019, the level of excess mortality, or the number of additional deaths, can be determined.

In total there were around 1 762 000 additional deaths in the EU between March 2020 and January 2023, of which around 583 000 were in 2020, 655 000 in 2021, 511 000 in 2022 and 12 000 in January 2023. National trends were quite varied across the EU. In February 2023, for the first time since February 2020 (just before the COVID-19 pandemic), there was no excess mortality in the EU as a whole, when excess mortality fell to −2.3%, due to around 7 000 fewer deaths compared with February 2016-2019 average.

In the visualisation below, the different waves of excess mortality can be seen at EU and country levels. Some of the mortality increase in July and August 2022 compared with the same months of the years 2020 and 2021 may be due to heatwaves that then affected parts of Europe.

Population diversity

This section presents immigration and emigration, non-national population, acquisition of citizenship and differences between rural and urban regions.

Immigration and emigration

In 2021, 3.7 million international immigrants

In 2021, 2.3 million people immigrated to the EU from non-EU countries and 1.4 million people previously residing in one EU Member State migrated to another Member State, a total of 3.7 million international immigrants.

In 2021, the largest numbers of persons immigrating were recorded in Germany (874 000 persons, 23% of all immigrants into EU Member States), Spain (529 000, 14%), France (336 000, 9%) and Italy (318 000, 9%). Immigrants into these four Member States made up 55% of all immigrants entering an EU Member State in 2021. Slovakia (6 000, 0.2% of all immigrants into EU Member States), Latvia (13 000, 0.3%), Malta (18 000, 0.5%) and Estonia (20 000, 0.5%) recorded the smallest numbers of immigrants.

A large majority of of immigrants are non-nationals in many Member States

Immigrants are either non-nationals or nationals having the citizenship of the country in which they move. In 2021, over half of immigrants were non-nationals in 22 among the 27 Member States. The largest shares were observed in Czechia (96%), Luxembourg (94%) and Austria (92%). On the other hand, in Romania, 77% of immigrants in 2021 held a national citizenship, followed by Portugal (75%) and Slovakia (65%).

EU citizens

EU citizens living in another EU country

The EU population has the freedom to move and reside in the different EU Member States. The largest group of EU citizens residing in other EU Member States as non-nationals in 2022 was Romanian citizens (3.1 million or 24% of all EU citizens living in another EU country as non-nationals), followed by Polish (1.5 million or 11%), Italian (1.5 million or 11%) and Portuguese citizens (1.0 million or 7%).

Looking at the period 2018 to 2022, the number of EU citizens living in another EU Member State has increased for 19 EU citizenships and decreased for 8. The largest relative increase during this period can be observed for Luxembourgish (+27%), Irish (+19%), Maltese (+16%) and Croatian (+15%) citizens.

Moroccans, Syrians and Albanians largest groups acquiring citizenship across EU Member States

Looking at the period 2016 to 2021, the total number of citizenships granted to non-nationals in the EU was lowest in 2018 (672 000) and highest in 2016 (844 000). In 2021, 827 000 citizenships were granted by EU Member States, a 13% increase compared with 2020. In terms of original citizenships, the largest groups acquiring citizenship of an EU Member State in 2020 and 2021 were Moroccans and Syrians (both 10% of all citizenships granted by an EU Member State in 2021) and Albanians (4%). During the period 2016 to 2019, Moroccans and Albanians were the largest two groups acquiring citizenship of an EU Member State, ahead of Turks from 2015 until 2018 and of Britons in 2019.

Share of children born to foreign-born mothers increasing

Another way of looking at population diversity is through the share of children born to foreign-born mothers. In 2021 in the EU, 21% of children were born to mothers who were not born in their country of residence of 2021, an increase of 3 pp from 18% in 2013. In 2021, Luxembourg (65%), Cyprus (38%) and Malta (35%) recorded the highest shares, while the lowest were in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania (all 2%).

Compared with 2013, 21 of the 27 EU countries in 2021 showed an increase in the share of live births from foreign-born mothers. Malta recorded the highest increase in this share (23.4 pp from 11.4% in 2013 to 34.8% in 2021) followed by Portugal, Spain and Romania in which increases of 5 pp were recorded.

Rural and urban regions: differences

Higher share of people of working age in urban regions

People in the EU live in different kinds of regions: rural, urban or ‘intermediate regions’. Different age group shares in the total population were observed in different regions in 2022: for the working age population (aged 20-64), there was a higher share in urban regions (60%) than in rural regions (57%). For those aged 65 to 79, the pattern was the opposite: there was a higher share in rural regions (16%) than in urban regions (14%). For people aged less than 15 (15%), aged 15 to 19 (5%) and those aged 80 or over (6%), the shares in the different types of region were the same within the age group.

Looking at the Member States, the pattern mentioned above is more visible. In all Member States, except Poland and Slovakia, the share of the working age population was higher in urban regions than in rural regions. The differences were highest in Denmark (64% in urban regions and 55% in rural regions), Finland (60% and 53%) and Sweden (59% and 53%). The shares of people aged 65 to 79 living in rural areas were highest in the Netherlands (20%), Portugal and Finland (both 19%). What is also interesting to note is the share of the population in urban and rural regions for those aged 80 and over in Spain: this age group represented 10% in rural regions (the highest share in all Member States) and 6% in urban regions.

Higher fertility rates in rural regions

The total fertility rate (number of live births per woman) also differs according to which region people live in. In 2021 in the EU, the fertility rate in urban regions was 1.47, in intermediate regions 1.55 and in rural regions 1.61. Among the 23 Member States for which data are available for both urban and rural regions, the fertility rate was higher in rural than in urban regions in 17 Member States, with the largest differences in Hungary (1.24 in urban regions and 1.76 in rural regions), Ireland (1.52 and 1.89) and Latvia (1.33 and 1.63). Among the Member States which had the opposite pattern, the largest difference between regions was observed in Spain (1.19 in urban regions and 1.06 in rural regions).

Marital status

This section focuses on marriage and divorce rates, age at first marriage and live births outside marriage.

Fewer marriages

Number of marriages going down

The number of marriages varied in the period 2001 to 2021 in the EU. The crude marriage rate, meaning the number of marriages per 1 000 persons peaked at 5.0 marriages per 1 000 persons in 2007. After that it stayed at 4.1 marriages per 1 000 persons or above until 2019, when it was 4.3.

In 2020 and 2021, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the crude marriage rate recorded its lowest values since 1964 (the first available year) at 3.2 and 3.9, respectively.

In 2021, the highest marriage rates were observed in Hungary (7.4 marriages per 1 000 persons), Latvia, Lithuania and Romania (all 6.0), and the lowest in Portugal and Slovenia (both 2.8).

Older when getting married

Just as the age of mothers when giving birth to their first child is increasing (see the part ‘Older mothers’ above), people in the EU are becoming older at their first marriage. In all EU Member States the mean age at first marriage increased in the last two available decades. The biggest increases – around six to seven years – were observed in Portugal (from 25.5 years for women and 27.7 years for men in 2001 to 32.0 and 33.6, respectively, in 2021) and Spain (from 28.1 and 30.2 in 2000 to 34.7 and 36.9 in 2021).  On the other hand, the smallest increases – around three years – were observed in Denmark for women and in Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia and Denmark for men.

The oldest mean age at first marriage for both women and men was observed in Sweden (34.8 and 37.5, respectively, in 2020) and the youngest for women in Romania (27.3 in 2020) and for men in Poland (30.2 in 2020).

Over half of all live births are outside marriage in nine Member States

The proportion of live births outside marriage in the EU increased steadily between 2001 and 2019, from 26.8% to 42.7%, while in 2020 and 2021 it decreased to 41.9% and 41.8%, respectively. Between 2001 and 2021 (or the latest year available), the share of births outside marriage increased in 23 Member States (all except Latvia, Hungary, Estonia and Sweden), with the largest increases observed in Portugal (+36.2 pp, from 23.8% in 2001 to 60.0% in 2021) and Spain (+29.5 pp, from 19.7% to 49.2%). 

In 2021 or the latest year available, over half of all live births were outside marriage in nine Member States. In 2021, the highest shares were observed in France (63.5%), Portugal (60.0%) and Bulgaria (59.9%) and the lowest in Greece (16.5%) and Croatia (23.6%). For Cyprus, the latest available data (21.2% in 2019) was also low.

Divorce rate fluctuating

Looking at the period 2001 to 2021, the crude divorce rate, meaning the number of divorces per 1 000 persons, in the EU fluctuated. In 2001, there were 1.7 divorces per 1 000 persons. This increased to reach a peak of 2.1 in 2006. After that, the rate decreased and ranged between 1.8 and 1.9 from 2009 until 2019. The rate dropped to 1.6 in 2020 and was 1.7 in 2021. From 2001 to 2021, the highest decrease was in Czechia (from 3.1 to 2.0) and the highest increase in Spain (from 1.0 to 1.8).

In 2021, the highest crude divorce rates were observed in Lithuania (2.8 divorces per 1 000 persons) and Latvia (2.5). On the other hand, the lowest rates were found in Malta (0.6) and Slovenia (1.1). For Ireland, the latest available data (0.7 in 2017) was also low.

About this publication

Demography of Europe is an interactive publication released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Context

Quote from Dubravka Šuica, European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography:    

‘The data presented in this publication will help us analyse the reasons behind the multi-faceted demographic trends across the European Union, because not every Member State is affected in the same way. This publication is another key building block for our demography portfolio, it confirms demography as a catalyst for the development and the success of our policies.’

Quote from Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy:       

‘Demographic change in the European Union is a key policy topic for this Commission. The pandemic has reiterated how important it is that our policies resonate with people and protect them. What distinguishes this new Eurostat publication is its simple and interactive way of bringing information about European demography to our citizens.’               

Information on data

Data in the visualisations are linked directly to the online database up to the reference year mentioned in the title of each visualisation. The accompanying text was finalised during early May 2023 and reflects the data situation at that moment in time.

For more information

• Thematic section on population and demography
• Thematic sub-section on international migration and citizenship
• Database on population and demography
• Database on international migration and citizenship
• Statistics Explained articles on population and demography at national level
• Statistics Explained articles on population at regional level
• Statistics Explained articles on migration and asylum
• Statistics 4 beginners articles on population statistics
• Statistics Explained glossary on population
• The impact of demographic change in Europe

Contact

If you have questions on the data, please contact Eurostat User Support.

Copyright and re-use policy

This publication should not be considered as representative of the European Commission’s official position.

© European Union, 2023

The reuse policy of European Commission documents is implemented based on Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39).

Except otherwise noted, the reuse of this document is authorised under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) licence. This means that reuse is allowed provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated.

For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the European Union, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective rightholders. The European Union does not own the copyright in relation to the following elements:

Cover photo: © BABAROGA / Shutterstock.com
Population structure: © fizkes / Shutterstock.com
Population change: © ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com
Population diversity: © Uskarp / Shutterstock.com
Marital status: © Burdun Iliya / Shutterstock.com

For more information, please consult our page on copyright notice and free re-use of data.

Identifiers

Catalogue number: KS-FW-23-001-EN-Q
ISBN 978-92-76-99580-7
ISSN 2600-3368
doi:10.2785/083