The population of Europe was estimated to be 742.2 million in 2023, an increase of around 2.2 million when compared with 2013. Over 35 years between 1950 and 1985, the population of Europe grew by approximately 157.8 million. But 35 years after 1985 it was estimated to have only increased by around 38.7 million. Since the 1960s, population growth in Europe has fallen quite significantly and was even negative during the mid-1990s. While population growth has increased slightly since the low of -0.07 percent in 1998, the growth rate for 2020 was just 0.04 percent.

Which European country has the biggest population? As of 2021, the population of Russia was estimated to be approximately 145.9 million and was by far Europe's largest country in terms of population, with Turkey being the second-largest at over 85 million. While these two countries both have territory in Europe, however, they are both only partially in Europe, with the majority of their landmasses being in Asia. In terms of countries wholly located on the European continent, Germany had the highest population at 83.9 million, and was followed by the United Kingdom and France at 68.2 million and 65.4 million respectively.

Characteristics of Europe's population There are approximately 386.5 million females in Europe, compared with 361.2 million males, a difference of around 25 million. In 1950, however, the male population has grown faster than the female one, with the male population growing by 104.7 million, and the female one by 93.6 million. As of 2021, the single year of age with the highest population was 34, at 10.7 million, while in the same year there were estimated to be around 136 thousand people aged 100 or over.

The total population in European Union was estimated at 449.3 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - European Union Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The population of Europe decreased by approximately 0.09 percent in 2023, falling to an overall total of approximately 743.5 million people. Since 1961, Europe's population growth rate has never exceeded one percent, and was even declining in the late 1990s and between 2020 and 2023.

The population of Europe is expected to fall from 740.6 million in 2023 to just 586.5 million people by 2100, in the medium-variant scenario provided in this projection. In the scenario where the population declines even further, the population of Europe may fall to as low as 401.2 million by 2100, while in the high-variant projection, the population will increase to approximately 830.6 million.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for the European Union (SPPOPGROWEUU) from 1961 to 2023 about EU, Europe, population, and rate.

In 2024, Germany was the leading EU country in terms of population, with around 85 million inhabitants. In 2050, approximately 89.2 million people will live in Germany, according to the forecast. See the total EU population figures for more information. The global population The global population is rapidly increasing. Between 1990 and 2015, it increased by around 2 billion people. Furthermore, it is estimated that the global population will have increased by another 1 billion by 2030. Asia is the continent with the largest population, followed by Africa and Europe. In Asia,the two most populous nations worldwide are located, China and India. In 2014, the combined population in China and India alone amounted to more than 2.6 billion people. for comparison, the total population in the whole continent of Europe is at around 741 million people. As of 2014, about 60 percent of the global population was living in Asia, with only approximately 10 percent in Europe and even less in the United States. Europe is the continent with the second-highest life expectancy at birth in the world, only barely surpassed by Northern America. In 2013, the life expectancy at birth in Europe was around 78 years. Stable economies and developing and emerging markets in European countries provide for good living conditions. Seven of the top twenty countries in the world with the largest gross domestic product in 2015 are located in Europe.

Population growth (annual %) in European Union was reported at 0.21365 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2023, Ukraine had the fastest growing population in Europe. As a result of Ukrainian citizens who had fled Russia's invasion of the eastern European country in 2022 returning to the country in 2023, Ukraine's population grew by 3.68 percent compared to 2022. Excluding this special case, the European countries which saw the greatest population growth in 2023 were Luxembourg, Norway, and Ireland. Overall, Europe's population declined by 0.09 percent in 2022, with this varying by region from a 0.31 percent decline in eastern Europe to an increase of 0.33 percent in northern Europe. All of the countries which saw the largest declines in their population in 2023 were central and eastern European countries which had hosted large numbers of Ukrainian refugees in 2022. Moldova, one of Ukraine's closest neighbours, saw its population decline by 3.6 percent, while Poland's population declined by 2.2 percent, and Slovakia's by 1.8 percent.

The average for 2023 based on 27 countries was 0.77 percent. The highest value was in Malta: 4.08 percent and the lowest value was in Greece: -0.63 percent. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This statistic shows the total population of the European Union from 2010 to 2023. The population is based on data from the most recent census adjusted by the components of population change produced since the last census, or based on population registers. At the beginning of 2023, the total population of the European Union amounted to approximately 448.38 million inhabitants. See figures for the total population by continent here. The global population The global population is rapidly increasing. Between 1990 and 2015, the global population has increased by around 2 billion people, and it is estimated to have increased by another 1 billion people by 2030. Asia is the continent in the world with the largest population, followed by Africa and Europe. Asia has the two most populous nations in the world: China and India. In 2014, the combined population in China and India amounted to more than 2.6 billion people. The total population in Europe is around 741 million people. As of 2014, about 10.2 percent of the global population lived in Europe. Europe is the continent with the second highest life expectancy at birth in the world. Born in 2013, the average European was estimated to live for around 78 years. Stable economies as well as developing and emerging markets in Europe provide for good living conditions for foreign nationals; seven of the top twenty countries in the world with the largest gross domestic product in 2024 are located in Europe.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia (SPPOPGROWECS) from 1961 to 2023 about Central Asia, Europe, income, population, and rate.

European Union population growth rate for 2023 was 0.21%, a 0.07% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>European Union population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>0.29%</strong>, a <strong>0.53% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>European Union population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>-0.24%</strong>, a <strong>0.32% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>European Union population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>0.08%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

Urban population growth (annual %) in European Union was reported at 0.52972 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Urban population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

The average for 2023 based on 47 countries was 0.39 percent. The highest value was in Malta: 4.08 percent and the lowest value was in Ukraine: -2.67 percent. The indicator is available from 1961 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Please contact author emma.terama@environment.fi for updated article:Terama, E. et al. 2017. Modelling population structure in the context of urban land use change in Europe. Regional Environmental Change (submitted).

And cite the accompanied data as:

Terama, E. 2016. European regional - NUTS2-level - population projections with age structure across SSPs. Database. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3806478.v1Age groups (6)

AG1: ages 0...14

AG2: ages 15...29

AG3: ages 30...49

AG4: ages 50...64

AG5: ages 65...74

AG6: ages 75+

Population is given in thousands.

Population statistics provide information about the size and composition of the population of the Netherlands as at 1 January. In addition, the statistics provide information about population dynamics from year to year due to births, deaths and migration.

The world's population first reached one billion people in 1803, and reach eight billion in 2023, and will peak at almost 11 billion by the end of the century. Although it took thousands of years to reach one billion people, it did so at the beginning of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition; from this point onwards, population growth has skyrocketed, and since the 1960s the population has increased by one billion people every 12 to 15 years. The demographic transition sees a sharp drop in mortality due to factors such as vaccination, sanitation, and improved food supply; the population boom that follows is due to increased survival rates among children and higher life expectancy among the general population; and fertility then drops in response to this population growth. Regional differences The demographic transition is a global phenomenon, but it has taken place at different times across the world. The industrialized countries of Europe and North America were the first to go through this process, followed by some states in the Western Pacific. Latin America's population then began growing at the turn of the 20th century, but the most significant period of global population growth occurred as Asia progressed in the late-1900s. As of the early 21st century, almost two thirds of the world's population live in Asia, although this is set to change significantly in the coming decades. Future growth The growth of Africa's population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have the largest impact on global demographics in this century. From 2000 to 2100, it is expected that Africa's population will have increased by a factor of almost five. It overtook Europe in size in the late 1990s, and overtook the Americas a decade later. In contrast to Africa, Europe's population is now in decline, as birth rates are consistently below death rates in many countries, especially in the south and east, resulting in natural population decline. Similarly, the population of the Americas and Asia are expected to go into decline in the second half of this century, and only Oceania's population will still be growing alongside Africa. By 2100, the world's population will have over three billion more than today, with the vast majority of this concentrated in Africa. Demographers predict that climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges that currently hinder progress in Africa, such as political and food instability; if Africa's transition is prolonged, then it may result in further population growth that would place a strain on the region's resources, however, curbing this growth earlier would alleviate some of the pressure created by climate change.

Covers population and demographic information. It contains commentary on the latest findings and topical articles on relevant subjects.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Pop Trends

Spain - Population as a % of EU population was 10.80% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Population as a % of EU population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Spain - Population as a % of EU population reached a record high of 10.80% in December of 2024 and a record low of 10.40% in December of 2017.

Population Growth for the European Union was 0.21365 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Growth for the European Union reached a record high of 1.26548 in January of 1960 and a record low of -0.24336 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Growth for the European Union - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.