Demography of Europe – 2026 edition
Demographic statistics tell us how the population is developing, ageing, and much more.
This makes Eurostat demographic data the most popular European statistics and an important element of many policy areas. This publication allows you 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.
In the EU, the share of people aged 65 or over grew in the EU from 17% in 2005 to 22% in 2025.
Population growth
EU population holds steady
On 1 January 2025, there were 451 million people living in the European Union (EU) representing approximately 1 million more people than the previous year. The most populous EU countries were:
- Germany (84 million, 19% of the EU total)
- France (69 million, 15%)
- Italy (59 million, 13%)
- Spain (49 million, 11%)
- Poland (36 million, 8%)
In total, these 5 countries accounted for 66% of the EU population. At the other end of the range, the least populous EU countries were Malta (574 000 people, corresponding to 0.1% of the EU total), Luxembourg (682 000, almost 0.2%) and Cyprus (983 000, 0.2%).
During the 20-year period, from 1 January 2005 to 1 January 2025, the total population of the EU increased from 435 million to 451 million, a growth of 4%. During this period, 19 EU countries showed increases in their population and 8 recorded decreases. The largest relative increases were recorded in Luxembourg (48%) followed by Malta (43%), Cyprus (34%) and Ireland (32%). The largest relative decreases were observed in Latvia (−17%), Bulgaria (−16%), Lithuania (−14%), Romania (−11%) and Croatia (−10%).
The largest absolute increases were recorded in France and Spain (both 6 million), while the largest absolute decreases were observed in Romania and Poland (both −2 million) and Bulgaria (−1 million).
Population density in the EU ranges from 19 to 1 817 people per km²
The in the EU was around 110 persons per km² in 2024. This value varied significantly between EU countries. Malta recorded the highest population density (with 1 817 persons per km²), followed at a distance by the Netherlands (530) and Belgium (389). At the other end of the range were Finland (19 persons per km²) and Sweden (26) with the lowest population densities.
The EU population density increased from 105 persons per km² in 2004 to 110 in 2024. During this period, there was an increase in 19 of the EU countries, with the largest growths in Malta (from 1 272 to 1 817 persons per km²) followed by Luxembourg (from 177 to 262). Romania (94 to 81) and Bulgaria (70 to 59) had the largest decreases.
Women and men
4.2% more women than men in the EU
On 1 January 2025, there were 230 million women and 221 million men in the EU. This corresponds to a ratio of 104.2 women per 100 men, which means that there were 4.2% more women than men. There were more women than men in all EU countries, except Malta, Slovenia, Sweden and Luxembourg. The highest ratio was found in Latvia (15.6% more women than men).
Between 1 January 2005 and 1 January 2025, the ratio of women per 100 men increased in 6 EU countries and decreased in 21. The highest increase was recorded in Bulgaria from 105.4 to 108.0 women per 100 men, while the highest decrease was in Malta from 101.8 to 88.3 women per 100 men.
Age
Children and young adolescents account for 14% of the EU population in 2025
On 1 January 2025, the EU had 65 million (under the age of 15), representing 14% of the total EU population. The share varied across EU countries: Ireland topped the list with nearly 19%, while Italy had the lowest share with 12%.
Over the 2 decades from 2005 to 2025 (1 January), most of the EU countries saw a decline in this age group except for Czechia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia which recorded increases of less than +1 percentage point (pp).
Meanwhile, (under the age of 19) accounted for 20% of the EU population on 1 January 2025. Among the EU countries, the highest share of young people was in Ireland (25%), followed by France and Sweden (each 23%). The lowest share was recorded in Malta (16%).
Over the past 20 years, the share of people under the age of 19 decreased in all EU countries.
People aged 80 and over represent 6% of the EU population in 2025
On 1 January 2025, the EU’s population aged 80 and over reached 6%. Among EU countries, the highest shares were recorded in Italy (nearly 8%), followed by Germany, Greece, and Portugal (all 7%).
Across the EU, the number of people aged 80 and over has increased in every country over the last 20 years. The biggest rises were in Greece, Portugal, Latvia, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania and Croatia, where this age group grew by 3 pp in each country.
On 1 January 2025, there were 99 million people aged 65 years old or more, representing 22% of the total EU population. Across the EU, the number of people aged 65 and over increased in all EU countries when comparing 2005 with 2025. The highest increase was in Poland (8 pp from 13% in 2005 to 21% in 2025).
Median age of the population in the EU: 44.9 years
Another way of analysing the ageing of society in the EU is by looking at the age of the population. The median age increased by 5.3 years from 39.6 years in 2005 to 44.9 years in 2025 (on 1 January).
Among the EU countries, the highest median age in 2025 was observed in Italy (49.1 years), followed by Bulgaria and Portugal (each 47.3 years) and Greece (47.2 years), while the lowest were recorded in Ireland (39.6 years), Luxembourg (39.8 years) and Malta (40.0 years).
During the period 2005 to 2025, the median age increased the most in Romania (8.6 years) followed by Portugal (8.1 years) and Greece (8.0 years), the least in Sweden (1.1 years) and Luxembourg (1.7 years).
On 1 January 2025 the median age was (43.3 years) for men and (46.5 years) for women.
For more information
Population diversity
This section presents immigration and emigration, non-national population and acquisition of citizenship.
In 2024, from 1.2 million citizenships granted by EU countries, the largest groups to acquire citizenship were Syrians (9%) and Moroccans (8%).
Immigration and emigration
In 2024, almost 6 million immigrants in the EU
In 2024, almost 6 million people to EU countries. Of those, 4.2 million people (74%) were from non-EU countries and 1.5 million (26%) people who had previously resided in one EU country migrated to another EU country.
In 2024, the largest numbers of persons immigrating were recorded in:
- Spain (1 289 000 persons, 23% of all immigrants into EU countries)
- Germany (1 079 000, 19%)
- Italy (452 000, 8%)
- France (439 000, 8%)
Immigrants entering these 4 countries made up 57% of all immigrants entering the EU in 2024. Slovakia followed by Latvia, Estonia and Luxembourg recorded the smallest numbers of immigrants with less of than 0.5% each.
In many EU countries, a large majority of immigrants are non-nationals
Immigrants are either non-nationals or nationals (those who have the citizenship of the country to which they move). In 2024, over 50% of immigrants were non-nationals in 24 among the 27 EU countries. The highest share was observed in Czechia (98%), followed by Cyprus (94%), Austria, Germany, Malta and Luxembourg (all 93%).
On the other hand, in Romania, 64% of immigrants in 2024 held national citizenship, followed by Latvia (61%) and Slovakia (53%).
In 2024, almost 3 million emigrants in the EU
In 2024, 3.1 million people from the EU countries. Of those, 1.5 million moved to another EU country and more than 1.5 million to outside EU. For 0.1 million emigrants the country of next residence is unknown.
In 2024, the largest numbers of persons emigrating were reported in Spain (662 000 persons, 21% of all emigrants from EU countries), followed by Germany (584 000, 18%), and France (263 000, 8%), and the smallest in Slovakia (4 400, 0.1%) and Bulgaria (13 000, 0.4%).
For more information
Citizenships in the EU
14 million EU citizens living in another EU country
On 1 January 2025, while most people in the EU lived in their country of citizenship, almost 10% (45 million) of the EU population were citizens of another country other than their country of residence. Of these, 3% (14 million) were citizens of another EU country and around 7% (31 million) of a non-EU country. Additionally, less than 1% of the EU population were stateless, i.e., people of unknown citizenship
Looking specifically at citizens from other EU countries, the largest share was recorded in Luxembourg (36%), followed by Cyprus and Austria (both 10%). The proportion of citizens from outside the EU was largest in Malta (21%), and Cyprus (15%).
Non-nationals are younger than nationals in the EU
On 1 January 2024, people who were non-nationals were younger than the national population in the EU.
The distribution by age group shows that, compared with nationals, the non-national population has a greater proportion of relatively young working age adults aged 20 to 49. This is the case for both men and women:
- men aged 20 to 49 accounted for 29% of the non-national population, compared with 18% of the national population;
- women aged 20 to 49 accounted for 27% of the non-national population, compared with 17% of the national population.
In contrast, the shares of people who are over 50 years were smaller for non-nationals than nationals:
- men aged over 50 accounted for 12% of the non-national population, compared with 21% for nationals;
- women aged over 50 accounted for 13% of the non-national population, compared with 24% of the national population.
Syrians, Moroccans and Albanians largest groups acquiring citizenship across EU countries
In 2024, EU countries granted citizenship to almost 1.2 million people representing a 12% increase compared with 2023 (1 054 000). Syrians (110 000 persons or 9% of all acquisitions of citizenship), Moroccans (97 000 or 8%) and Albanians (48 000 or 4%) were the top 3 recipients of EU country citizenship.
The largest groups citizenship of an EU country were:
- from 2023 to 2024 Syrians and Moroccans ahead of Albanians
- from 2020 to 2022 Moroccans and Syrians, ahead of Albanians
- from 2016 to 2019 Moroccans and Albanians, ahead of Turks 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 2024 in the EU, 24% of children were born to mothers who were not born in their country of residence, an increase of 6 pp from 18% in 2014. In 2024, the highest share was recorded in Luxembourg (68%) followed by Cyprus (42%) and Malta (38%), while the lowest were in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia (each 3%).
Comparing 2024 with 2014, 24 EU countries showed an increase in the share of live births to foreign-born mothers. Malta recorded the highest increase (23 pp, from 15% to 38%) and Croatia the highest decrease (−4 pp, from 15% to 11%).
Population change
This section focuses on births and deaths, age of mothers, fertility rates and life expectancy.
In 2024 in the EU, life expectancy was 84.1 years for girls and 78.9 years for boys — a difference of 5.2 years.
Births and deaths
Live births decreasing
In 2024, the in the EU stood at 7.9 live births per 1 000 persons. Among the EU countries, the highest rates were found in Cyprus (10.0 live births per 1 000 persons), Ireland (9.9) and France (9.6), and the lowest in Italy (6.3), Spain (6.5), Lithuania and Greece (both 6.6).
Comparing 2024 with 2004, there was a decrease in all EU countries.
Number of deaths increasing
The , which is the number of deaths per 1 000 persons, was 10.7 in 2024 in the EU. The highest rates were observed in Bulgaria (15.6 deaths per 1 000 persons), Latvia (14.3) and Hungary (13.4). The lowest rates were recorded in Ireland (6.5), Luxembourg (6.6) and Cyprus (6.9).
Comparing 2024 with 2004, the rate increased in 18 EU countries and decreased in 9 countries.
More deaths than births since 2012
The EU’s crude rate of (difference between live births and deaths) was −2.8 in 2024, which means that there were more deaths than births. The highest negative rates were observed in Latvia (−7.4), Bulgaria (−7.3), and Lithuania (−6.4), and the highest positive ones were found in Ireland (+3.4), Cyprus (+3.1) and Luxembourg (+2.9).
Motherhood
1.34 children per woman in 2024
In 2024, the total fertility rate in the EU stood at 1.34 live births per woman, down from 1.46 in 2004 and below the replacement level of 2.1, at which a population is considered stable. Among the EU countries, the rate varied, ranging from 1.72 live births per woman in Bulgaria to 1.01 live births per woman in Malta. A total fertility rate below 1.3 live births per woman is often referred to as 'lowest-low fertility'.
Age of women at birth of first child increasing to 29.9 years
The mean age of first-time mothers in the EU increased by 1 year from 28.9 in 2014 to 29.9 in 2024. The oldest first-time mothers were found in Italy (31.9 years), Luxembourg (31.6) and Spain (31.5), and the youngest in Bulgaria (26.9), Romania (27.2) and Slovakia (27.4).
Births to mothers 40+ doubled from 2004 to 2024
In 2024, around 3.6 million babies were born in the EU, with 6% born to mothers aged 40 years and over. A rate that has doubled compared with 3% in 2004. Among the EU countries, the largest share of births to women aged 40 and over was found in Greece (11% of all live births), Spain (10%), Italy and Ireland (both 9%).
For more information
Life expectancy
Increase in life expectancy of 3.2 years between 2004 and 2024
One reason for the ageing of the population in the EU is increasing life expectancy – the population is living longer. Life expectancy at birth rose rapidly during the last century due to several factors:
- reductions in infant mortality
- rising living standards, improved lifestyles and better education
- advances in healthcare and medicine
In 2024 the life expectancy at birth in the EU was estimated at 81.5 years. Spain (84.0), Sweden (83.8) and Italy (83.7) recorded the highest life expectancy at birth, and the lowest was in Bulgaria (75.8) followed by Latvia (76.4) and Romania (76.5).
Comparing 2004 to 2024, the life expectancy at birth increased in all EU countries. The highest increase was recorded in Estonia (7 years) followed by Latvia and Lithuania (both 5.5) and Romania (5.1).
Women live on average 5.2 years longer than men
Women live longer than men: for 2024, the EU life expectancy at birth for women was 84.1 and 78.9 for men, a difference of 5.2 years. The life expectancy at birth for women was higher than men for all EU countries, with the largest difference in Latvia (9.8 years; women 81.2 and men 71.4) and the smallest in the Netherlands (2.8 years; 83.3 and 80.5).
In 2024, the highest life expectancies at birth for women were recorded in Spain (86.5 years) and France (85.8), and the lowest in Bulgaria (79.5) and Hungary (79.9). For men, Sweden had the highest life expectancy (82.3 years), followed by Italy (81.6), and the lowest in Latvia (71.4) and Bulgaria (72.2).
Marital status
This section focuses on marriage and divorce rates, age at first marriage and live births outside marriage.
In 2024 in the EU, the highest share of births outside marriage was observed in Bulgaria (62%) and the lowest in Greece (10%)
Marriage
Fewer marriages
Some 1.7 million marriages took place in the EU in 2024 or 3.9 marriages for every 1 000 persons (the . Among the EU countries, the lowest marriage rates were observed in Italy (2.9 marriages per 1 000 persons), Slovenia (3.0) and Bulgaria (3.2), and the highest in Latvia (5.5), Romania (5.3) and Austria (5.0) .
Between 2004 and 2024 the marriage rate decreased in 18 of the EU countries for which data are available and increased in 4 (Latvia, Hungary, Austria and Estonia).
Older when getting married
In 2024, the oldest mean age at first marriage for women was observed in Spain and Sweden (35.2) and for men in Sweden (37.4); the youngest was recorded in Romania for both women (28.4) and men (31.5).
Comparing 2004 to 2024, the mean age at first marriage has increased in all 20 EU countries for which data is available. The biggest increase (7 years for both women and men) was observed in Portugal.
41% of births in the EU are outside marriage
The proportion of live births outside marriage in the EU stood at 41% in 2024. More than half of all live births were outside marriage in 7 EU countries. The highest shares were observed in Bulgaria (62%), France (60%) and Portugal (59%), and the lowest in Greece (10%) followed by Hungary (24%) and Croatia (26%).
Between 2004 and 2024 the proportion of live births outside marriage increased in 18 of the EU countries for which data are available and decreased in 4 (Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Hungary).
Divorce
In 2024 an estimated 0.7 million divorces took place or 1.6 divorces for every 1 000 persons, in other words the . The lowest crude rates in the EU were registered in Malta (0.9 divorces per 1 000 persons), Slovenia (1.0) and Romania (1.1). By contrast, divorce rates were highest in Latvia (2.8 divorces per 1 000 persons), Lithuania (2.5) and Estonia, Finland and Sweden (each 2.1).
Between 2004 and 2024 the divorce rate decreased in 14 of the EU countries for which data are available and increased in 6 (Latvia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland and Croatia).
For more information
Give us your feedback
About this publication
Demography of Europe is an interactive publication released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Information on data
Data in the visualisations are linked directly to the online database up to the reference period(s) – months in 1 visualisation, year(s) in all others – indicated in each visualisation. The visualisations present data on the latest available reference period (2025 or 2024), often also on several earlier reference periods (for example: all years 2004-2024; or 2005, 2015 and 2025).
The population stocks refer to 1 January of any given calendar year (e.g. 1 January 2025). Live births, deaths, immigration, emigration, acquisition of citizenship, marriages and divorces are flows and refer to a whole year.
Population density is the ratio of the (annual average) population of a country to the (land) area of the country.
The accompanying text was finalised by mid-May 2026 and reflects the data situation at that moment in time. If data on the latest year was missing from some country, it could sometimes be replaced by a previous year’s data when the accompanying text was written.
The release and update dates for all statistical indicators are published on the Eurostat release calendar.
For more information
- Thematic section on demography, population stock and balance
- Thematic section on international migration, citizenship
- Database on population and demography
- Database on international migration and citizenship
- Statistics Explained articles on population and demography
- Statistics Explained articles on population at regional level
- Statistics Explained articles on migration and asylum
- Statistics 4 beginners article on population statistics
- Statistics Explained glossary on population
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, 2026
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 photographs:
Cover: © Aliaksandr / stock.adobe.com
Population structure: © fizkes / stock.adobe.com
Population change: © Jasmin Merdan / stock.adobe.com
Population diversity: © Marius Karp / stock.adobe.com
Marital status: © Roman Motizov / stock.adobe.com
For more information, please consult our page on copyright notice and free re-use of data.
Identifiers
Catalogue number: KS-01-26-032-EN-Q
ISBN 978-92-68-39743-5
ISSN 2600-3368
doi:10.2785/2082883
Share