Data extracted in May 2025.
Planned article update: July 2026.
Highlights
Among the enlargement countries, between 2013 and 2023, the population increased only in Türkiye (from 76.7 million to 85.4 million inhabitants) and marginally in Montenegro (from 621 521 to 623 680 inhabitants).
In 2024, Serbia was the only enlargement country where the share of the elderly population (22.4%) exceeded the EU average (21.3% in 2023, most recent data). In contrast, the share of young people (less than 15 years old) was above the EU average (14.8%, 2023 data) in most enlargement countries, peaking at 23.8% in Kosovo (2022 data) and remaining below the EU level only in Serbia and Ukraine (2022 data).
This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of population statistics for the enlargement countries and compares them with the corresponding data for the European Union (EU).
Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are usually included in the set of articles covering the enlargement countries. For these articles, only data that are submitted directly to Eurostat by enlargement countries and validated by Eurostat’s production units, following the same process as for Member States, are used. Generally, country data that are not directly reported to Eurostat are not included in these articles.
Data shown for Georgia exclude the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia over which the government of Georgia does not exercise control. The data managed by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova exclude areas over which the government of the Republic of Moldova does not exercise control. Since 2014, data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government. Data on Ukraine from the year 2022 on are limited due to exemption under the martial law from mandatory data submission to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, effective as of 3 March 2022, following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This exemption remained in place until the end of the martial law, on 1 July 2025.
The article gives an overview of demographic developments in the enlargement countries, presenting indicators such as the population by sex, the age structure of the population, natural population change, migration and the life expectancy at birth by sex.
Population by sex
The recommended definition of total population is the ‘usual resident population’, which represents the number of inhabitants of a given area. Eurostat uses the reference date of 1 January of the year in question. In some cases, the date of 31 December of the previous year is used.
Data for the enlargement countries, as well as the EU, on the total population by sex for the years 2014-2024 are presented in Table 1.
The country data are to be interpreted in the context of breaks in time series, which occurred in 2015 for Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine; in 2022 for North Macedonia (following a census which led to new estimates), and in 2023 for Serbia.
Over the period 2014-2024, the number of women was, in most cases, higher than the number of men in the enlargement countries. The exceptions were North Macedonia between 2014 and 2021, Albania between 2014 and 2018, Türkiye between 2014 and 2024 and Kosovo[1] between 2016 and 2022.
In 2024, women made up 53.4% of the population in Moldova, 52.0% in Georgia, 51.4% in Serbia, and 49.9% in Türkiye. Based on the most recent data, women accounted for 50.5% of the population in Albania as of 1 January 2023. As for countries with the latest available data dating from 2022, women represented 53.6% of the population in Ukraine and 50.9% in Kosovo.
Among the enlargement countries, the population increased in Türkiye between 2014 and 2024 (+11.4%, from 76.7 million to 85.4 million). This growth was relatively balanced between sexes, with an increase of +11.1% for the male population (from 38.5 million to 42.7 million) and +11.6% for the female population (from 38.2 million to 42.6 million).
In contrast, the population declined in several countries over the same period. The largest relative decrease was observed in Moldova, where the population fell from 3.6 million in 2014 to 2.4 million in 2024 (-31.9%). Georgia saw a drop from 4.5 million to 3.7 million (-17.8%), and Ukraine, using the most recent data from 2022, declined from 45.2 million in 2014 to 40.9 million (-9.5%). North Macedonia’s population declined from 2.06 million in 2014 to 1.83 million in 2024 (-11.6%).
Smaller decreases were registered in Serbia, from 7.1 million in 2014 to 6.6 million in 2024 (-7.6%), and in Albania, from 2.89 million in 2014 to 2.76 million in 2023 (-4.5%).
The population remained largely stable in Montenegro (from 0.622 million in 2014 to 0.624 million in 2024, +0.3%) and in Kosovo (from 1.772 million in 2016 to 1.774 million in 2022, +0.1%, based on the most recent available data).
Over the same period, the EU population increased from 442.3 million in 2014 to 449.3 million in 2024 (+1.6%), with women accounting for 51.1% of the total population in 2024.
.png)
Figure 1 shows the age structure of the population of the enlargement countries and the EU in 2024. Data are not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The share of the elderly population — defined as people aged 65 years and over — accounted for 9.1% of the population in Kosovo (2022 data), 10.2% in Türkiye, 16.2% in Georgia, 17.4% in Moldova (estimated, provisional), 16.7% in Montenegro, 16.5% in Albania (2023 data), 17.6% in Ukraine (2022 data), 18.1% in North Macedonia, and 22.4% in Serbia. The elderly population in Serbia was higher than in the EU, where it made up 21.3% of the total population (2023 data, estimated, provisional). For all other enlargement countries, the elderly population share remained below the EU average — generally reflecting the EU’s aging population.
At the other end of the age spectrum, the proportion of young people (aged less than 15 years) was higher than the EU average (14.8% in 2023, most recent data) in all enlargement countries, except Serbia. The highest shares were observed in Kosovo (23.8%, 2022 data), Türkiye (21.4%), and Georgia (19.5%). Montenegro (18.2%), Moldova (17.5%, provisional), North Macedonia (16.6%), and Albania (16.0%, 2023 data) also reported values above the EU average. Ukraine (14.9%, 2022 data) was broadly in line with the EU average, while Serbia (14.4%) was the only country to record a lower share
The EU's population is ageing, as persistently low birth rates and rising life expectancy affect the demographic structure and transform the shape of its age pyramid. This results in a shrinking share of working-age people and a growing proportion of retirees, placing increasing pressure on the working population to fund age-related social expenditures. Similar demographic pressures may emerge in enlargement countries, particularly those with relatively high proportions of elderly people.
.png)
Annual natural population change
The natural population change is the difference between the number of live births and deaths during a given period, usually one year. Available data for the period 2013-2023 for the enlargement countries, as well as for the EU, are shown in Figure 2.
The evolution of natural population change across the EU and enlargement countries over the period 2013 to 2023 highlights a complex demographic development. The Covid-19 pandemic triggered an abrupt and visible decline in natural population balances, primarily through increased mortality and strained health systems. However, behind the sudden impact of the pandemic was a slower, long-standing decline in population, already occurring in many countries due to aging and lower birth rates. In many countries, growth was shrinking year after year, even in those still reporting more births than deaths.
For example, Albania, Montenegro, Georgia, and Türkiye all showed signs of this slowdown. In Albania, the pace of natural population growth has shown a distinct and continuous decline over the past decade. From a peak of 15 308 people in 2013, the annual natural increase decreased steadily — to 10 297 in 2015, 8 637 in 2017, and 6 624 in 2019. A sharp contraction followed in 2020, when the figure dropped to just 470. The downward trend culminated in 2021, when Albania recorded — for the first time during the period under review — a natural population change with a negative balance of -3 296 people. While a recovery followed in 2022 and 2023, the figures remained below levels posted in the early years of the decade analysed.
During 2013 – 2023 Montenegro followed a similar pattern, with natural population change declining from 1 558 people in 2013 to 628 in 2019, before turning negative in 2020 (-196). The drop deepened in 2021 (-2 119), eased in 2022 (-47), and reversed in 2023, when a modest positive balance of 681 was recorded.
Georgia also saw its natural increase declining from 11 548 people in 2014 to just 1 637 in 2019, followed by a significant plunge at -4017 in 2020, when deaths began to outnumber births.
Türkiye, which recorded the highest natural population growth in the region for many years, posted a steady annual reduction — from 947 383 people in 2014 to 747 711 in 2019, then further dropping to 530 956 in 2022 and 432 594 in 2023.
Other countries in the region faced challenging trends as well. Serbia experienced persistent negative natural population change — from about -34 746 people in 2013 to a sharp -74 442 in 2021. Though this annual loss narrowed slightly to -36 029 in 2023, the long-term pattern still points to serious demographic challenges. Ukraine, too, showed a strong and consistent natural population decline even before the pandemic, with annual losses growing from -158 711 people in 2013 to a severe -323 378 in 2020. While recent figures for 2021–2023 are not available, the data of 2020 reflect demographic pressure.
Moldova’s natural population change fluctuated significantly over the period. Following a relatively small decline of -906 people in 2014, the country recorded a brief positive change of 747 people in 2015. There is a noted break in the time series in 2014, which may affect direct comparisons involving that year and the subsequent years ‘data. However, this was followed by a return to negative trends, with the natural decrease widening to -9 987 in 2020 and further to -16 234 in 2021. The figures for 2022 and 2023 indicate a partial recovery, with -9 205 and -9 658 people respectively.
The EU faced ongoing natural population decline throughout the past decade. From a modest natural decrease of just -12 373 people in 2014, the gap widened steadily to -486 797 by 2019. The pandemic then seriously accelerated this decline: in 2020, the EU recorded a natural population loss of over 1.11 million people, and this deepened further to nearly -1.28 million in 2022 — the highest annual loss of the period. While 2023 saw a slight easing to -1.19 million, the scale of these losses reflects a sustained challenge. It is important to note that the EU data series include breaks in 2015, 2017, and 2018, which may affect direct comparisons between those years and others.
.png)
Life expectancy at birth by sex, 2013 and 2023
Life expectancy at a certain age is the mean additional number of years that a person of that age can expect to live, if subject throughout the rest of his or her life to the current mortality conditions. Life expectancy at birth has risen rapidly over the last century in most of the world due to advances in healthcare and medicine, linked especially to reduced infant mortality, as well as rising living standards, improved lifestyles and better education.
Figure 3 presents life expectancy at birth in 2013 and 2023 in the enlargement countries and the EU. Data are not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Between 2013 and 2023, life expectancy at birth increased for both males and females in Albania, Serbia, Moldova, and Montenegro, as well as in the EU overall.
In Albania, life expectancy for males increased by 1.4 years, from 76.0 in 2013 to 77.4 years in 2022 (latest data available), and for females by 0.8 years (from 80.1 to 80.9). Serbia also recorded gains, with male life expectancy increasing by 1.2 years (from 72.6 to 73.8 in 2023) and female life expectancy by 0.7 years (from 77.9 to 78.6 years in 2023).
In Moldova, male life expectancy improved slightly by 0.5 years (from 67.0 in 2012 to 67.5 in 2023), while female life expectancy increased by 1.5 years (from 74.9 in 2012 to 76.4 in 2023). In Montenegro, male life expectancy rose by 1.0 year (74.1 to 75.1), and female life expectancy by 1.2 years (79.0 to 80.2).
In contrast, Türkiye and North Macedonia recorded decreases in life expectancy over the same period. In Türkiye, male life expectancy slightly declined by 0.6 years (from 75.4 to 74.8 in 2023), and female life expectancy by 1.3 years (from 81.1 to 79.8 in 2023). In North Macedonia, the drop was more pronounced: male life expectancy decreased by 2.3 years (from 73.4 to 71.1 2021, most recent data), and female life expectancy by 2.0 years (from 77.5 to 75.5 in 2021).
Georgia experienced a modest decline: male life expectancy remained stable at 69.9 years (2014–2023), while female life expectancy decreased slightly from 78.2 (in 2014) to 77.5 years (in 2023). For Ukraine, 2023 data were not available; in 2014 (earliest available year), life expectancy stood at 66.6 years for males and 76.7 years for females.
In the EU, life expectancy at birth continued its upward trajectory over the decade, with gains for both sexes: male life expectancy increased by 1.2 years (from 77.5 to 78.7), and female life expectancy rose by 0.7 years (from 83.3 to 84.0), reflecting ongoing improvements in healthcare, living conditions, and disease prevention.
.png)
Annual net migration
Besides the natural population change, net migration is the other factor leading to an increase or decrease in the population. The annual net migration is the difference between the number of immigrants (people coming into an area) and the number of emigrants (people leaving an area). In the context of the annual demographic balance, however, net migration figures are produced by taking the difference between total population change and natural population change. This concept is referred to as 'net migration plus statistical adjustment'. The statistics on 'net migration plus statistical adjustment' are therefore affected by any statistical inaccuracies in the two components of this equation, especially corrections of total population figures, for example following a population census. From one country to another 'net migration plus statistical adjustment' may cover, besides the difference between inward and outward migration, other changes observed in the population figures between 1 January in two consecutive years which cannot be attributed to births, deaths, immigration and emigration.
Data for the enlargement countries, as well as the EU, is shown in Figure 4 for the period 2013-2023. It should be noted that due to breaks in time series limiting comparability over time and missing data for individual years, it is difficult to discern long-term trends for several of the enlargement countries.
Net migration plus statistical adjustment continued to play a central role in shaping demographic developments across the region.
Türkiye registered high net inflows in 2018 and 2019 (370 616 and 403 404, respectively), following a break in series, before declining to 68 324 in 2022 and turning negative in 2023 (-339 770).
In Moldova, net migration plus statistical adjustment remained consistently negative throughout the period. A break in the time series occurred in 2014, followed by a sharp downward trend in 2015 (-709 600). In the years that followed, the figures remained negative but less extreme, ranging from -19 681 in 2016 to -62 411 in 2021. A slight improvement was observed in 2022, when the negative balance narrowed to -43 067, before widening again to -79 813 in 2023 (2015 to 2023 estimated). These trends reflect sustained emigration pressures, combined with changes in statistical sources and estimation methods following the break in series.
Ukraine’s net migration plus statistical adjustment data were only partially available for the period under review, with notable gaps in 2014 and from 2021 to 2023. Figures available for 2013–2020 indicate consistent net positive migration, though at relatively modest levels—ranging from 10 620 people in 2016 to 31 913 in 2013. However, the absence of data in recent years (2020 to 2023), particularly after 2022, limits the statistical capture of major population movements. Thus, the effects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on migration are not captured by the data available.
Montenegro reported stable, small outflows until a shift to a positive balance of over 6 304 in 2023. In North Macedonia, a major statistical adjustment in 2021 linked to the population census resulted in a one-off decline of -221 826, followed by a return to more moderate levels (-257 people in 2023). Georgia experienced a significant downward revision in 2014 (around -772 546), marking a break in the time series. In the following years, the net migration balance remained relatively moderate, turning positive in 2022 (54 509) before shifting back to -39 207 in 2023.
Net migration remained consistently negative in Albania and Kosovo (latest data available for 2022 and 2020, respectively). Serbia reported values near zero throughout most of the period, except for a marked adjustment in 2022 (-109 405). These trends reflect a combination of ongoing emigration, administrative changes and the impact of external events on population statistics across the region.
The EU consistently recorded positive values, with annual inflows exceeding 1 million people in several years (2015, 2018-2019, 2021) and peaking at over 3 million people in 2022 — an exceptional figure coinciding with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In 2023, inflows remained very high, reaching close to 2.8 million people. The EU data include breaks in time series in 2014–2015, 2017, as well as in subsequent years through to 2023.
.png)
(persons)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
Eurostat provides a wide range of demographic data, including statistics on population at national and regional level, as well as for various demographic events influencing the size, the structure and the specific characteristics of these populations. These statistics are available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website.
The population figures transmitted by the countries can either be based on data from the most recent population and housing census, typically carried out every 10 years, adjusted by the population change (live births, deaths, immigration and emigration) since the last census, or be based on population registers. The estimates of population produced using the population change components since the last census should be revised once the census results become available, revising and rebasing the population statistics series for the previous decade.
Since 2016, the enlargement countries provide annual demographic estimates directly to Eurostat’s unit responsible for population and migration statistics; these data have been used in this article. The same process applies to Eurostat’s regular collection of population data from EU Member States and EFTA countries. Among other steps, this process includes validation of the data received from the reporting countries. In some cases, enlargement countries have implemented major statistical adjustments in a single year when the precise results of a census become available, if retrospective adjustments of the population estimates for the previous decade are not feasible. This leads to a break in the time series.
Population data for Bosnia and Herzegovina has been revised based on the 2013 census results which was released in June 2016. A break appears in the time series as the revision has not been done backwards.
Population data for Moldova has been revised based on the 2014 population and household census results. A break appears in the time series as the revision has not been done backwards.
Population data for North Macedonia has been revised based on the 2021 census results which was released on 30 March 2022. A break appears in the time series as the revision has not been done backwards.
Population data for Georgia is based on the 2014 General Population Census data, vital statistics data from the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) of the Ministry of Justice, and migration data from Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). A break appears in the time series in 2015, as the revision has not been done backwards.
From 1 January 2015, population data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government.
Context
Population statistics are widely used to compare statistics relating to regions or countries that are inevitably of different sizes. Population is used as the denominator to normalise these data on a per person (per capita) basis. Examples include comparisons of GDP per person between regions; hospital beds per thousand people; school places per thousand children within a specific age range. Population statistics are used both in policy development and in discussions on their outcomes.
Population statistics are the basis for distributing seats in democratic assemblies, where these are allocated geographically.
Population statistics are also used in business decisions, both at local level and in focusing on specific age ranges.
These statistics are used to analyse ageing population and its effects on the labour force and the age dependency ratio, so informing social and employment policies.
Information concerning the current statistical legislation on population and demography statistics can be found at the following links:
While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU enlargement process. EU standards in the field of statistics require the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as professional independence, impartiality, relevance, confidentiality of individual data and easy access to official statistics; they cover methodology, classifications and standards for production.
Eurostat has the responsibility to monitor that the statistical production of the enlargement countries complies with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as pilot surveys, training courses, traineeships, study visits, workshops and seminars, and participation in meetings within the European Statistical System (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.
Additional information on statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided in the Statistics explained background article Enlargement policy and statistical cooperation.
Footnotes
- This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence. ↑
Explore further
Other articles
- Enlargement countries — statistical overview — online publication
- International statistical cooperation — online publication
- Population and demography
- Population and population change statistics
- Population structure and ageing
Database
Thematic section
<footnote text will be automatically inserted if reference tags are used in article content text (use reference icon on ribbon)>
</footnotes>
Publications
- Factsheets
- Basic figures on the candidate countries and potential candidates — Factsheets — 2023 edition
- Basic figures on Western Balkans and Türkiye — Factsheets — 2022 edition
- Basic figures on enlargement countries — Factsheets — 2021 edition
- Leaflets
- Basic figures on enlargement countries — 2020 edition
Methodology
- Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates at national level (ESMS metadata file — demo_gind_esms)
- Population (ESMS metadata file — demo_pop_esms)
- Fertility (ESMS metadata file — demo_fer_esms)
- Mortality (ESMS metadata file — demo_mor_esms)