Chart - Demography: Population aging in Euope

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Updated: April 23, 2002

Data: Demography

Europe: Population by age groups, 1950-2050

	in 1000					in % of total population
	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050
Age 0-14	143,175	166,367	139,464	103,212	90,430	26.2	25.3	19.2	14.7	14.4
Age 15-64	359,162	421,432	487,110	451,599	364,277	65.6	64.2	66.9	64.3	58.0
Age 65+	44,981	68,642	101,338	147,524	172,985	8.2	10.5	13.9	21.0	27.6
Age 75+	14,553	22,762	38,139	63,663	91,343	2.7	3.5	5.2	9.1	14.6
Total	547,318	656,441	727,912	702,335	627,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Eastern Europe: Population by age groups, 1950-2050

	in 1000					in % of total population
	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050
Age 0-14	61,660	71,659	65,018	42,500	35,696	28.1	25.9	21.0	14.8	14.2
Age 15-64	143,348	181,194	206,975	190,934	150,025	65.4	65.6	66.8	66.4	59.6
Age 65+	14,287	23,429	38,049	54,072	66,173	6.5	8.5	12.3	18.8	26.3
Age 75+	4,722	7,311	12,258	20,090	30,207	2.2	2.6	4.0	7.0	12.0
Total	219,296	276,282	310,042	287,506	251,894	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Northern Europe: Population by age groups, 1950-2050

	in 1000					in % of total population
	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050
Age 0-14	18,498	21,102	18,199	15,967	14,616	23.7	24.2	19.4	16.7	16.1
Age 15-64	51,552	55,289	60,997	59,450	53,288	66.0	63.3	65.1	62.0	58.8
Age 65+	8,045	10,957	14,485	20,459	22,756	10.3	12.5	15.5	21.3	25.1
Age 75+	2,675	3,838	6,358	9,693	12,716	3.4	4.4	6.8	10.1	14.0
Total	78,094	87,347	93,682	95,876	90,660	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Southern Europe: Population by age groups, 1950-2050

	in 1000					in % of total population
	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050
Age 0-14	30,143	33,750	24,268	17,316	14,948	27.7	26.4	16.9	12.8	13.1
Age 15-64	70,566	81,193	97,549	86,404	62,355	64.7	63.6	68.1	64.0	54.4
Age 65+	8,303	12,663	21,531	31,314	37,223	7.6	9.9	15.0	23.2	32.5
Age 75+	2,727	4,265	8,190	14,605	21,264	2.5	3.3	5.7	10.8	18.6
Total	109,012	127,606	143,348	135,035	114,526	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Western Europe: Population by age groups, 1950-2050

	in 1000					in % of total population
	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050	1950	1970	1995	2025	2050
Age 0-14	32,874	39,856	31,978	27,429	25,169	23.3	24.1	17.7	14.9	14.8
Age 15-64	93,695	103,756	121,590	114,811	98,609	66.5	62.8	67.2	62.4	57.8
Age 65+	14,347	21,594	27,273	41,678	46,832	10.2	13.1	15.1	22.7	27.4
Age 75+	4,430	7,348	11,333	19,276	27,156	3.1	4.4	6.3	10.5	15.9
Total	140,916	165,207	180,841	183,918	170,611	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Source:

Own calculations based on the 1998 UN World Population Prospects. This projections were made with the DemoTools projection software.

Note:

Eastern Europe includes:
Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine
Northern Europe includes:
Channel Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Southern Europe includes:
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Yugoslavia
Western Europe includes:
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland

These table illustrate the dramatic aging process in Europe.

In 1950 all European countries had an elderly population age 65 and above of some 45 million; in 1995 the population age 65+ had already more than doubled to 101 million; by 2050 Europe will have 173 million people age 65 and above.

Aging is most serious in Southern Europe. According to UN projections, almost one third of the population (32.5%) will be age 65 or older in 2050. In Northern Europe, by contrast, "only" 25% of the population will be aged 65 or older in 2050.

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