Global Demographic Trends - the decline of Europe

In 2007, the top ten European countries by population were:

1. Russia - 141 million
2. Germany - 82 million
3. France - 64 million
4. UK - 61 million
5. Italy - 58 million
6. Ukraine - 46 million
7. Spain - 40 million
8. Poland - 39 million
9. Romania - 22 million
10. Netherlands - 17 million

In 2050, the projected top ten European countries are:

1. Russia - 109 million
2. Germany - 74 million
3. France - 70 million
4. United Kingdom - 64 million
5. Italy - 50 million
6. Spain - 36 million
7. Ukraine - 34 million
8. Poland - 32 million
9. Romania - 19 million
10. Netherlands - 16 million

With the exception of France and the UK, these numbers show a pattern of population decline across Europe. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this at a time when global populations are pressing against resources. However, it has implications for relative economic performance and for public policy.

In the next post, we will look at Africa.

Note on Sources

Source data can be found at the introductory post.

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