In 2024, Italy and Portugal were the European countries with the largest share of elderly population, with ** percent of the total population aged 65 years and older. Bulgaria, Finland, and Greece were the countries with the next highest shares of elderly people in their population, while the European Union on average had **** percent of the population being elderly. Iceland, Ireland, and Luxembourg had around ** percent of their population being elderly, while Türkiye and Azerbaijan had around ** percent.

In 2024, the population of Europe was estimated to be approximately 6.3 million, with the most common single year of age being 37, at over 10.6 million. By contrast, there were just 176,232 people aged 100 or more in this year.

European Union - Proportion of population aged 65 and over was 21.60% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Proportion of population aged 65 and over - last updated from the EUROSTAT on October of 2025. Historically, European Union - Proportion of population aged 65 and over reached a record high of 21.60% in December of 2024 and a record low of 17.60% in December of 2010.

This statistic displays the age distribution of Europe in 2020, with forecasts for 2025 and 2050. In 2020, the largest age group in Europe were those aged between 35 and 39, at roughly ** million people. By 2025 however, the largest age group is forecasted to be those aged 40-44 (**** million) and by 2050 those aged 60-64 (**** million).

Graph and download economic data for Working Age Population: Aged 15 and over: All Persons for the Euro Area (19 Countries) (LFWATTTTEZQ647S) from Q1 2005 to Q4 2022 about working-age, 15 years +, Euro Area, Europe, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Working Age Population: Aged 15 and Over: All Persons for the European Union (LFWATTTTEUA647S) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, working-age, 15 years +, Europe, and population.

The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), is a longitudinal micro-data infrastructure created in response to a communication by the European Commission (2000) to the Council and the European Parliament, which identified population ageing and its social and economic challenges to growth and prosperity to be among the most pressing challenges of the 21st century in Europe. SHARE has also become one of the most prestigious social science infrastructures and was in 2011 the first to be appointed a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) by the European Council.The overarching objective of SHARE is to better understand the interactions between bio-medical factors, the socio-economic environment and policy interventions in the ageing European populations. SHARE aims to achieve this objective by providing a research infrastructure for fundamental science as well as a tool for policy evaluation and design. Initiated in 2002, SHARE is scheduled to launch, all in all, 10 data collection waves. At present eight waves have been fulfilled and seven waves are available to the research community.

When using data from this dataset, please cite the dataset as follows:

Börsch-Supan, A. (2022). Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Wave 7. Release version: 8.0.0. SHARE-ERIC. Data set. DOI: 10.6103/SHARE.w7.800

Please also cite the following publications in addition to theSHARE acknowledgement: Bergmann, M., A. Scherpenzeel and A. Börsch-Supan (Eds.) (2019). SHARE Wave 7 Methodology: Panel Innovations and Life Histories. Munich: Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA). Börsch-Supan, A., Brandt, M., Hunkler, C., Kneip, T., Korbmacher, J., Malter, F., Schaan, B., Stuck, S. and Zuber, S. (2013). Data Resource Profile: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). International Journal of Epidemiology DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyt088.

Graph and download economic data for Working Age Population: Aged 25-54: Males for the European Union (LFWA25MAEUQ647S) from Q1 2005 to Q4 2019 about EU, 25 to 54 years, working-age, males, Europe, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Working Age Population: Aged 15-24: Males for the European Union (LFWA24MAEUA647S) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, working-age, 15 to 24 years, males, Europe, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for the European Union (SPPOP65UPTOZSEUU) from 1960 to 2024 about 65-years +, EU, Europe, and population.

The main objectives of this data collection effort were to assemble a set of cross-nationally comparable microdata samples for Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) countries based on the 1990 national population and housing censuses in countries of Europe and North America, and to use these samples to study the social and economic conditions of older persons. The samples are designed to allow research on a wide range of issues related to aging, as well as on other social phenomena. The Estonia microdata sample contains information on persons aged 50 and over and the persons who reside with them. Variables included in this dataset cover geographic area, type of residency, type of dwelling, and household characteristics, as well as demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, number of children, education, income, and occupation.

SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe - is a multidisciplinary and cross-national panel database. It provides micro data on health, socio-economic status and social and family networks of thousands individuals aged 50 or over and their (younger) partners. The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe seeks to analyse the process of population ageing in depth.

Copyright © Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) 2015

When using data from this dataset, please cite the dataset as follows: Börsch-Supan, A. (2022). Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Wave 5. Release version: 8.0.0. SHARE-ERIC. Data set. DOI: 10.6103/SHARE.w5.800

Please also cite the following publications in addition to theSHARE acknowledgement: Börsch-Supan, A., T. Kneip, H. Litwin, M. Myck, G. Weber (Eds.) (2015). Ageing in Europe - Supporting Policies for an Inclusive Society. Berlin: De Gruyter. Malter, F. and A. Börsch-Supan (Eds.) (2015). SHARE Wave 5: Innovations & Methodology. Munich: MEA, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy. Börsch-Supan, A., Brandt, M., Hunkler, C., Kneip, T., Korbmacher, J., Malter, F., Schaan, B., Stuck, S. and Zuber, S. (2013). Data Resource Profile: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). International Journal of Epidemiology DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyt088.

Old-age-dependency ratio per 100 personsThis indicator is the ratio between the number of persons aged 65 and over (age when they are generally economically inactive) and the number of persons aged between 15 and 64. The value is expressed per 100 persons of working age (15-64).This data was downloaded on 24th July from here: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-datasets/-/tsdde510and joined to a country shapefile from NaturalEarth. Data for smaller countries e.g Monaco, Vatican City is not available.

In 2020, Germany had the highest number of over 65's at approximately 18.1 million, which was followed by Italy and France at 13.9 million and 13.7 million inhabitants respectively.

Graph and download economic data for Working Age Population: Aged 15-24: All Persons for the Euro Area (19 Countries) (LFWA24TTEZA647N) from 2005 to 2022 about working-age, 15 to 24 years, Euro Area, Europe, and population.

This graph displays the total population size of citizens aged between 60 and 64 years old in Europe in 2015, by country. That year there were roughly **** million inhabitants of this age group in Germany, which was followed by France and Italy at **** million and **** million inhabitants, respectively.

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPPOPDPNDOLECA) from 1960 to 2024 about Central Asia, working-age, ratio, Europe, and population.

The growth in the number of people in need of care throughout Europe has positively impacted the Social Services industry. The industry supports some of Europe’s most vulnerable people, from older people and those with disabilities to at-risk children. Revenue is estimated to swell at a compound annual rate of 1.3% in the five years through 2025 to €138.7 billion. High demand is explained by the popularity of home care for older adults. For many people, home care is the preferred form of care in old age, far ahead of nursing and retirement homes. With Europe’s population rapidly ageing, demand for care like dressing, showering and medication management is on the rise. Europe’s ageing population is the main driver for increased demand in recent years, alongside more people preferring to age at home rather than opt for residential care facilities. There’s also an increasing demand for childcare services, but the shortage of skilled workers continues to plague the industry. Revenue is projected to climb by 0.6% in 2025. Despite revenue growth, operating cost hikes have been weighing on the finances of companies struggling to stretch funding. European Social services will face an even greater demand as the population ages. The sector’s ability to adapt will be crucial, with digital innovation in telehealth services playing a key role in transforming service delivery and quality. Better telemedicine will allow more people to remain at home for longer. Revenue is estimated to swell at a compound annual rate of 0.8% over the five years through 2030 to €144.1 billion. The industry will have more opportunities to leverage technology to improve the efficiency and accessibility of services, from telecare systems enabling independent living for the elderly to digital platforms for child and family services.

The employment rate of older workers is calculated by dividing the number of persons in employment and aged 55 to 64 by the total population of the same age group. The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey.

Learn about the growth of Europe’s home healthcare services and assistive technologies, focusing on patient care, remote monitoring, & smart devices.