Population structure
The median age is an indicator that can be used to analyse the pace at which population structures are changing. During the last 2 decades, the median age of the EU population increased by 5.5 years, up from 39.0 years on 1 January 2003 to 44.5 years by 1 January 2023.
The distribution of median ages across NUTS level 3 regions exhibited some skewness. On 1 January 2023, there were 753 regions that had median ages equal to or above the EU average, while there were 413 regions where the median age was below.
At the start of 2023, some of the highest median ages were recorded in rural regions …
At the top end of the distribution, there were 158 regions in the EU where the median age on 1 January 2023 was at least 50.0 years (as shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 1). These regions were concentrated in eastern regions of Germany as well as central and northern regions of Italy; there were also several regions in Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France and Portugal with relatively high median ages. Many of the regions with the highest median ages were characterised as relatively rural regions with low levels of disposable income and/or relatively high unemployment rates.
There were 3 regions in the EU where the median age exceeded 55.0 years on 1 January 2023
- the northern Portuguese region of Alto Tâmega (56.5 years)
- Arr. Veurne in north-west Belgium (56.2 years)
- the mountainous region of Evrytania in central Greece (56.2 years).
… while some of the lowest median ages were recorded in and around capital cities
Capital regions often exert a considerable pull on inter-regional and international migrants, as they tend to provide a diverse range of educational and employment opportunities. This process can lead to a shift in population structures, with younger people accounting for a growing share of a region’s population; over time, this pattern may self-reinforce, insofar as populations with younger age structures are more likely to have relatively high birth rates.
There were 56 NUTS level 3 regions in the EU where the median age was less than 40.0 years on 1 January 2023 (they are shown with a yellow shade in Map 1). Upon further examination, many of these regions could be characterised as belonging to one of the following groups
- capital regions – the lowest median ages among this group were recorded in the Danish capital region of Byen København (34.0 years), the Belgian capital region of Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (35.9 years), the Irish capital region of Dublin (37.3 years) and the Dutch capital region of Groot-Amsterdam (38.0 years)
- neighbouring regions that bordered or surrounded capital regions – for example, Mid-East in Ireland, 7 of the 8 regions that surround Paris, Flevoland in the Netherlands, or Ilfov in Romania
- several other predominantly urban regions (not capitals) with relatively large student populations and dynamic labour markets – including (among others) Frankfurt am Main, München and Würzburg in Germany; Haute-Garonne and Rhône in France; Overig Groningen and Utrecht in the Netherlands; or Poznański and Gdański in Poland
- outermost and autonomous regions, often characterised by relatively high fertility rates – for example, the French outermost regions of Mayotte (that had the lowest median age in the EU, at 18.1 years), Guyane and La Réunion, or the Spanish autonomous regions of Ceuta and Melilla.
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