- Data from August 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
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This article gives an overview of the European Union's place in the world by looking at several key demographic indicators.
Main statistical findings
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7.3% of the World population lives in the EU-27
The world’s population was approaching 7 000 million inhabitants at the beginning of 2010 and continues to grow. Asia accounted for the majority of the world’s population (just over 60 %) with 4 167 million inhabitants. Africa was the next most populous continent with 1 033 million inhabitants, or 15.0 % of the world total.
The world’s population more than doubled between 1960 and 2010. The increase in global population between 1960 and 2010 can be largely attributed to Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The most populous countries in the world in 2010 were China (19.6% of world's population) and India (17.6%), followed at some distance by the United States and Indonesia. The share of EU-27 in the world's population was 7.3%.
On average, population density within the EU-27 was 116.4 persons per km² in 2010, more than three times as high as in the United States, but below the values recorded for Indonesia, China, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea.
The latest United Nations (UN) population projections (World Population Prosepcts: The 2008 Revision) show that the pace at which the world’s population is expanding will slow in the coming decades; however, the total number of inhabitants is projected to reach more than 9 000 million by 2050. According to the projections, World population would be also older in 2050 than it is now.
Ageing societies
Ageing society represents a major demographic challenge for a wide range of developed world economies and is linked to a range of issues, including, persistently low levels of fertility rates and significant increases in life expectancy during recent decades. Improvements in the quality and availability of healthcare are likely, at least in part, to explain the latter, alongside other factors such as increased awareness of health issues, higher standards of living, or changes in workplace occupations from predominantly manual labour to tertiary activities. The average life expectancy of a new-born baby in the world is currently 67.6 years. From the beginning of the 90s only, the world population gained 3.6 years in the life expectancy at birth. In the EU-27 the life expectancy at birth is generally higher than in most regions of the world.
The old-age dependency ratio is used as indicator of the level of support of the old population (aged 65 years and over) by the working age population (those aged between 15 to 64 years). United Nations population projections quoted in this article for comparison between EU and non-EU countries, as well as Eurostat's population projections (see Population structure and ageing) show that old-age population in EU-27 is projected to increase to such an extent that there will be fewer than two persons of working age for each person aged 65 or more by the year 2050. The demographic challenge that EU-27 is confronted with is by no means unique. Most developed, and also some emerging economies, will undergo changes in their demographic composition in the next four decades. Shrinking working age populations, a higher proportion of elderly persons, and increasing old age dependency rates suggest that there will be a considerable burden to provide social expenditure related to population ageing (pensions, healthcare, institutional care). The challanges associated with an ageing society are likely to be even more acute in countries such as Japan or the Republic of Korea.
Data sources and availability
The data in this article are based on two sources: Eurostat and United Nation Population Division / World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision. Eurostat provides information for a large range of demographic data. Eurostat compiles demographic statistics on population, births, deaths, marriages and divorces. Data on population and demographic events include breakdowns by several characteristics, such as age, year of birth, gender, legal marital status, and educational attainment. A series of demographic indicators are produced and disseminated by Eurostat based on the collected information, including total fertility rate and life expectancy at birth, the crude rate of population growth, the age dependency ratios, and the crude rates of births and deaths.
The UN has is involved in several multi-national survey programmes whose results provide key information about fertility, mortality, maternal and child health. The UN data reflects demographic information produced by other UN agencies or bodies, such as, the Economic and Social Commissions, the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Data from other organisations, such as Eurostat, is also consulted.
UN population data is often based on registers or estimates of mid-year population; this may be contrasted with Eurostat’s data that generally reflect the situation as of 1 January in each reference year.
United Nations’ population projections are quoted in this article for comparison between EU and non-EU countries. Eurostat produces population projections at national and regional EU level. For more infomation see *Population.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- Ageing characterises the demographic perspectives of the European societies - Issue number 72/2008
- The EU-27 population continues to grow - Issue number 31/2009
Database
- Population (populat), see:
- Demography (pop)
- Demography - National data
- Population (demo_pop)
- Fertility (demo_fer)
- Mortality (demo_mor)
- Marriage and divorce (demo_nup)
- Demography - National data
- Population projections (proj)
- EUROPOP2008 - Convergence scenario, national level (proj_08c)
- EUROPOP2008 - Convergence scenario, regional level (proj_r08c)
