The greying of the baby boomers - Issue number 23/2011 - Products Statistics in Focus

A century-long view of ageing in European populations

Population ageing is undoubtedly going to be a key demographic challenge in many European countries over the next fifty years. Its implications for socio-economic systems, such as public pensions programmes, health care or kinship structures, may be considerable. The latest Eurostat projections (Europop2010) show that, over the next 50 years, population ageing is likely to attain unprecedented levels in 31 European countries, though the magnitude, speed and timing are likely to vary. In fact, population ageing has been a reality for decades now. In some countries it may already have passed its peak speed over a one-century period to enter a slowdown phase; in others, the process may speed up noticeably over the coming decades.