Archive:Population statistics introduced

Latest update of text: June 2015. Planned article update: June 2016.

As the population of the European Union (EU) grew beyond 500 million inhabitants, its structure continued to change. Recent demographic developments show that the EU's population is slowly increasing, while its age structure is becoming older as post-war baby-boom generations reach retirement age. Furthermore, people are living longer, as life expectancy continues to increase. On the other hand, while fertility increased for several years up to 2010, its downward path over several decades means that it remains well below a level that would keep the size of the population constant in the absence of inward or outward migration. As a result, the EU will, in the coming decades, face a number of challenges associated with an ageing society which will impact on a range of areas, including labour markets, pensions and provisions for healthcare, housing and social services.

Population change and the structure of the population are increasingly the focus of political, economic, social and cultural analyses. Demographic trends in population growth, fertility, mortality and migration are closely followed by policymakers. EU policies, notably in social and economic fields, use demographic data for planning and for programme monitoring and evaluation.

Eurostat compiles, monitors and analyses a wide range of demographic data, including statistics on national and regional populations, as well as for various demographic factors (births, deaths, marriages and divorces, immigration and emigration) influencing the size, the structure and the specific characteristics of these populations. Eurostat also collects detailed information on different areas related to migration, asylum and citizenship: foreign resident populations, annual flows of immigrants and emigrants, persons acquiring citizenship, monthly and quarterly information on asylum applicants and on asylum decisions, residence permits issued to non-EU nationals and information on persons found illegally present in EU Member States. These statistics concerning migration and asylum provide the basis for the development and monitoring of EU policy initiatives in several areas, including: the impact of migration on labour markets, the promotion of migrant integration, the development of a common asylum system, the prevention of unauthorised migration, and trafficking in human beings.

In 2014, the European Commission set out a list of 10 key priorities, which would be the focus of its 2015 work programme; one of these concerned migration. In May 2015, the European Commission adopted an agenda on migration (COM(2015) 240), which outlined a response to the ongoing crisis situation in the Mediterranean and set out longer term steps to manage migration in all its aspects: reducing the incentives for irregular migration; saving lives and securing external borders; developing a strong common EU asylum policy; and preparing for the introduction of a new policy on legal migration.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

EU Employment and Social Situation — Quarterly Review — March 2013 — Special Supplement on Demographic Trends

Main tables

Database

Immigration (migr_immi)

Emigration (migr_emi)

Acquisition and loss of citizenship (migr_acqn)

Dedicated section

Population

Other information

External links