Data extracted in January 2025. Planned article update: March 2026.
Highlights
Among the European Neighbourhood East countries, in 2023, the share of people aged 65 years and over in the population ranged from 8.5% in Azerbaijan to 17.6% in Ukraine (2022). In the EU, this age group accounted for 21.3% of the population.
The population density in European Neighbourhood East countries ranged from 65.3 inhabitants per km2 in Georgia to 117.0 in Azerbaijan in 2023. In comparison, the population density in the EU was 109.1 (2022).
This article is part of an online publication. It presents information on 5 European Neighbourhood Policy-East (ENP-East) countries, namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, compared with the European Union (EU). Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are also candidate countries, with the European Council having granted Moldova and Ukraine candidate status on 22 June 2022 and Georgia on 14 December 2023. This article does not contain any data on Belarus, as statistical cooperation with Belarus has been suspended as of March 2022.
Data shown for Georgia exclude the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia over which the government of Georgia does not exercise control. The data managed by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova does not include data from the Transnistrian region over which the government of the Republic of Moldova does not exercise control. Since 2014, data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government. As of 2022, data on Ukraine is limited due to reporting units being exempted from mandatory data submission to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine under the martial law, effective as of 3 March 2022, following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Statistics on changes in the population and its structure are increasingly used to support policy making and provide an opportunity to monitor demographic behaviour within an economic, social and cultural context. Aside from basic data on population levels and structure, this article also provides information on population density, natural change in the population, migration, and students at different education levels.
Population structure by age and by sex
Data on the total population by sex for the ENP-East countries and the EU is shown in Table 1 for the years 2013-2023.
The number of women in the total population of the EU and ENP-East countries was slightly higher than the number of men. In 2023, women made up between 53.6% of the population in Ukraine (2022 data) and 52.0% in Georgia. The exception was Azerbaijan, where the sexes were evenly balanced, with men and women each making up 50.0% of the population in 2022 (2023 data unavailable). In the EU, the share of women was 51.1%.
Azerbaijan was the only ENP-East country in which the population increased between 2013 and 2022 (2023 data not available), growing by 8.5% from 9.4 million to 10.2 million. The number of men grew somewhat stronger than that of women.
In the other ENP-East countries, the population declined relatively rapidly throughout the period 2013-2023. Moldova’s estimated population decreased by 29.4%, a decline partially attributable to a break in the time series between 2014 and 2015, caused by a revision in the underlying methodology. Georgia’s population declined by 16.8% (2014-2023), and Ukraine’s by 9.6% (2013-2022), with breaks in the time series in 2015 in both countries, each having a significant negative impact on population figures. In Armenia, the population decreased by 1.1% between 2015 and 2023.
In Moldova, the number of men declined stronger compared to the number of women over the period, while the opposite was the case for Georgia and Ukraine. In Armenia, the male population decreased by 2.3%, while the female population remained stable.
Over the period 2013-2023, the EU population grew slightly, from 441.3 million to 448.8 million (+1.7%), with somewhat stronger increase in the number of men than that of women.
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Figure 1 shows the age structure of the population in the ENP-East countries and the EU in 2023. The share of elderly persons, defined as persons aged 65 years and over, varied considerably between ENP-East countries, from 8.5% in Azerbaijan to 17.6% in Ukraine (2022 data). In comparison, elderly persons made up 21.3% of the population in the EU, higher than in any of the ENP-East countries.
At the other end of the age spectrum, the shares of young people were 14.9% in both Ukraine (2022 data) and the EU. In Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, the shares of young people were notably higher than in the EU. In all 3 countries, young people aged less than 15 years old made up more than one fifth of the total population (21.9% in Azerbaijan, 20.7% in Georgia and 20.2% in Armenia (2021 data)). Moldova’s share was estimated to be somewhat lower, at 18.0%, but still higher than the EU.
The EU's population is ageing, as consistently low birth rates and higher life expectancy transform the shape of its age pyramid. As a result, the proportion of people of working age in the EU is shrinking, while the relative number of those retired is expanding. This will, in turn, lead to an increased burden on those of working age to provide for the social expenditure required by the ageing population for a range of services.
In 2023, there were more elderly than young people in the EU, with the share of elderly people 6.4 percentage points (pp) higher than that of young people. The same was the case in Ukraine (2022 data), although not as pronounced as in the EU. In all the other ENP-East countries, there were more young people than elderly, with the largest difference in Azerbaijan (-13.4 pp).
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Population density
Data on population density, measured in inhabitants per square kilometre (km2), is illustrated in Figure 2 for the ENP-East countries and compared with the EU.
Azerbaijan had the highest population density among the ENP-East countries in 2023, at 117.0 inhabitants/km2, and the only one with a higher population density than the EU. Azerbaijan’s population density in 2023 was 8.3% higher than in 2013, when it was close to the level in the EU.
Between 2013 and 2022 (2023 not available), the population density in the EU remained relatively stable (+1.6%), reaching 109.1% in 2022. It remained stable over the period 2013-2023 also in the ENP-East countries Armenia (-1.1%) and Georgia (+0.5%), in 2023 standing at 100.6 and 65.3 inhabitants/km2, respectively.
There was a substantial break in the population density time series for Moldova in 2014, with a population density of 117.2 in 2013 and 94.5 in 2014, with population density based on resident population from 2014 onwards. The population density in Moldova still decreased strongly and continuously throughout 2014-2023, to 82.1 in 2023 (-13.1%).
The most recent data available for Ukraine refers to 2014, when the population density was 75.3 inhabitants/km2.
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Annual natural change
The natural population change is the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths during a given period, usually 1 year. Data for the ENP-East countries is shown in Table 2 for the period 2013-2023.
Between 2013 and 2023, Azerbaijan recorded a positive natural population change each year, i.e. there were more live births than deaths. Throughout this period, the natural population growth in Azerbaijan was the highest among the ENP-East countries. The natural growth in the population exceeded 100 000 persons each year between 2013-2016, ranging from 118 288 in 2013 to 102 816 persons in 2016. The lowest growth in the period was seen in the 2 years characterised by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021, with growth of 50 924 persons in 2020 and 35 406 in 2021.
Armenia also registered natural population growth throughout the period 2013-2023, in the range between 15 317 (2014) and 9 683 (2022), with an outlier at just 183 in 2020 at the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, 2021 data are not available for Armenia.
Georgia saw natural population growth during the period 2013-2019, prior to the pandemic, ranging between 11 548 (2014) and 1 637 (2019). During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Georgia recorded more deaths than live births, with natural population decreases of -4 017 and -13 960, respectively. Later data are not available.
In Moldova, there were more deaths than live births each year during the period 2013-2023, with the only exception in 2015 (747). During the pandemic, the annual natural change decreased to -9 987 in 2020 and further to -16 234 in 2021. However, the decreases continued at a higher level also after the pandemic, with decreases of -9 205 in 2022 and -9 700 and 2023.
Ukraine stands out with strong negative natural population changes throughout the period 2013-2020 (later data not available), with far more deaths than live births. This negative trend grew stronger year-on-year, with the negative numbers more than doubling from -158 711 in 2013 to -323 378 in 2020.
For the EU, there was a natural population decrease between 2013 and 2023, ranging from -12 373 in 2014 to -1 278 890 in 2022, reflecting its aging population and moderate birth rates in several EU contries. This negative change accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, falling from -486 797 in 2019 to -1 115 455 in 2020 and -1 208 839 in 2021, and persisted at this low level until 2023.
Overall, for the ENP-East countries for which data are available, as for the EU, the number of live births remained relatively stable up to 2019. They decreased to lower levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and have persisted at these lower levels since. In Armenia the number of live births declined already in the years before the pandemic. In contrast, the number of deaths increased notably during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but have in most cases fallen back towards pre-pandemic levels afterwards.
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Annual net migration
Besides the natural population change, net migration is the other factor leading to increase or decrease in the population. The annual net migration is the difference between the number of immigrants (people coming into a country to stay permanently) and the number of emigrants (people permanently leaving the country). Data for the ENP-East countries and the EU is shown in Table 3 for 2013 to 2023.[1]
Comparing annual net migration over the period 2013-2023 as shown in Table 3, emigration mainly exceeded immigration in Moldova, Georgia and Armenia, while immigration mainly exceeded emigration in the EU, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. It should be noted that, due to breaks in time series that limit comparability over time and missing data for individual years, it is difficult to discern long-term trends for several of the ENP-East countries. In addition, net migration data are only available in combination with statistical adjustments of population figures, which may be of substantial size for example when population estimates are recalibrated or revised following a recent population census.
During the period 2013-2023, estimated net migration was negative in Moldova, with figures ranging from -1 674 in 2013 to -79 771 in 2023. For 2015, net migration including statistical adjustments was -709 579; however, this was mainly caused by a statistical adjustment in total population estimates following the 2014 population and household census, causing a break in time series; this is also reflected in the difference in the population numbers on 1 January 2015 and on 1 January 2016 presented in Table 1 previously.
Net migration including statistical adjustments in Georgia for 2014 also shows a large negative figure as a result of the re-estimation of basic demographic data following the 2014 General Population Census. In subsequent years, net migration numbers in Georgia varied. There was net immigration in 2017 (+5 962) and 2020 (+15 732), but net emigration in the rest of the period 2014-2021 (later data not available). The peak in net emigration in this period was reached with -25 966 in 2021.
In the available years of the period 2013-2023 (2014, 2021, 2022 are not available), net migration for Armenia was generally negative, with the lowest level at -25 906 in 2015. The exceptions were the last 2 years available, 2020 and 2023, where net migration stood at +3 374 and +1 795, respectively.
In contrast, net migration for Azerbaijan was generally low, with net immigration in every available year during the period 2013-2023 (2021 data are not available). By far the highest number of this period was +2 348 in 2013.
In Ukraine, immigration exceeded emigration each year in the period 2013-2020. The highest net migration number was recorded in 2013, with +31 913. Data for 2014 is not available, but since 2014, data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government. Data for the period 2015-2020 indicate a net immigration of between +9 316 (2020) and +21 512 (2019). Data from 2021 onwards are not available.
From 2013 to 2023, there was significant net immigration to the EU, with positive figures each year. Years with notable figures were 2018, registering net immigration of 1.8 million persons, 2015 and 2019, both with 1.4 million, and 2021 with 1.2 million. However, following the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, net migration to the EU climbed to 4.2 million persons in 2022 and 2.8 million persons in 2023.
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Students by education level
The share of students at different education levels for the ENP-East countries and the EU in 2013 and 2023 are shown as percentage of the total number of students in Figure 3.
Overall, the total number of students increased substantially from 2013 to 2023 in Azerbaijan (+23.6%) and Georgia (+20.3%; excluding early childhood educational development), but somewhat less in Armenia (+9.8%). In contrast, it decreased by 12.8% in Moldova. Compared to 2013, the total number of students in Ukraine had decreased by 1.6 million to 6.6 million in 2023 (-19.6%), following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of students decreased at all education levels in Moldova and at all levels except lower secondary education in Ukraine, in line with the overall declines in the total number of students. In both countries, these declines were strongest for tertiary, upper secondary and early childhood and pre-primary education. This was reflected in these education levels’ shares in the total numbers of students, with the share of tertiary students decreasing by 4.4 percentage points (pp) in Moldova and 5.0 pp in Ukraine.
In contrast, in Azerbaijan the number of students increased strongly at most education levels over the period 2013-2023, except for a small decrease for post-secondary non-tertiary and a strong decrease for upper secondary education. This resulted in a sharp decline of 7.8 pp in the share of students in upper secondary education.
For Georgia and Armenia, the picture was more mixed. In Georgia, the number of tertiary students increased by 50.0% from 2013 to 2023, and increased considerably also for primary and lower secondary students. In Armenia, there was sharp increase in the number of students at lower secondary level, while the number of students at tertiary level decreased considerably. For Armenia, this resulted in an increase of 7.0 pp in the share of students at lower secondary level, while the share of tertiary students decreased by 5.7 pp.
In the EU, the number of students in tertiary education grew by 1.5 million over the period, with their share in the total number of students increasing to 19.7% (+1.1 pp). However, students in primary education still made up the largest share of the total in 2023, with 24.1% of the total (-1.4 pp), with lower secondary (19.8%; -0.2 pp) and upper secondary education (19.1%; -0.3 pp) also accounting for large portions of the students.
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Source: Eurostat (educ_uoe_enra02) and (enpe_educ_uoe_enra02)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
The data for ENP-East countries are supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authorities of each country on a voluntary basis. The data result from an annual data collection cycle that has been established by Eurostat. These statistics are available free-of-charge on Eurostat's website, together with a range of different indicators covering most socio-economic areas.
Eurostat provides a wide range of demographic data, including statistics on population at national and regional level, as well as for various demographic events influencing the size, the structure and the specific characteristics of these populations. Eurostat collects data from EU countries and other countries participating in its demography data collection exercise, including the ENP-East countries. The recommended population definition is the 'usual resident population' and represents the number of inhabitants on 1 January of the year in question (or, in some cases, on 31 December of the previous year).
Context
Population statistics are widely used to compare statistics relating to regions or countries that are inevitably of different sizes. Population is used as the denominator to normalise these data on a per person (per capita) basis. Examples include government expenditure per person between regions; hospital beds per thousand population; school places per thousand children within a specific age range. Population statistics are used both in policy development and in discussion of its outcomes.
On 2 July 2021, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy presented the Eastern Partnership: a Renewed Agenda for cooperation with the EU's Eastern partners. This agenda is based on the 5 long-term objectives, with resilience at its core, as defined for the future of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in the Joint Communication Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020: Reinforcing Resilience – an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all in March 2020. It is further elaborated in the Joint Staff Working Document Recovery, resilience and reform: post 2020 Eastern Partnership priorities, amongst others defining the 'Top Ten Targets for 2025'. The Eastern Partnership’s agenda for recovery, resilience and reform is underpinned by an 'Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership (EaP): Investing in resilient and competitive economies and societies' (Annex I of the Joint Staff Working Document). More detailed overviews are given in a Factsheet on the Eastern Partnership Joint Communication, presenting the policy objectives and the specific priorities, as well as in a Factsheet on EU-Eastern Neighbourhood flagship projects 2023-2024.
The Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit 'Recovery, Resilience and Reform' of 15 December 2021 reaffirmed the strong commitment to a strategic, ambitious and forward-looking Eastern Partnership.
At the Eastern Partnership Foreign Affairs Ministerial meeting of 11 December 2023, the EU, member states and partners declared that they will step up their efforts to implement the Eastern Partnership’s agenda for recovery, resilience and reform, as well as tackling challenges related to the ongoing consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine for the entire region.
In cooperation with its ENP partners, Eurostat has the responsibility to promote and implement the use of European and internationally recognised standards and methodology for the production of statistics, necessary for designing and monitoring policies in various areas. Eurostat manages and coordinates EU efforts to increase the capacity of the ENP countries to develop, produce and disseminate good quality data according to European and international standards. Additional information on the policy context of the ENP is provided on the website of Directorate-General Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (ENEST).
Footnotes
- ↑ In the context of the annual demographic balance, Eurostat produces net migration figures by taking the difference between total population change and natural change; this is referred to as net migration plus statistical adjustment.
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- All articles on non-EU countries
- European Neighbourhood Policy countries — statistical overview — online publication
- Statistical cooperation — online publication
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Database
- General and regional statistics
- Non EU countries (noneu)
- Eastern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP-East) (enpe)
- Population and social conditions (enpe_pop)
- Eastern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP-East) (enpe)
- Non EU countries (noneu)
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- Eastern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (ENP-East) (ESMS metadata file — enpe_esms)
External links
- European External Action Service (EEAS): European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and Eastern Partnership (EaP)
- Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST)): European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and Eastern Partnership (EaP).
- Joint Communication JOIN(2020) 7 final: Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020: Reinforcing Resilience - an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all (18 March 2020)
- Joint Staff Working Document SWD(2021) 186 final: Recovery, resilience and reform: post 2020 Eastern Partnership priorities (2 July 2021)
- Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit: 'Recovery, Resilience and Reform' (15 December 2021)