The population of Europe was estimated to be 745 million in 2024, an increase of around 4 million when compared with 2012. 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 2024, the population of Russia was estimated to be approximately 144.8 million and was by far Europe's largest country in terms of population, with Turkey being the second-largest at over 87 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 84.5 million, and was followed by the United Kingdom and France at 69.1 million and 66.5 million respectively. Characteristics of Europe's population There are approximately 384.6 million females in Europe, compared with 359.5 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 2024, the single year of age with the highest population was 37, at 10.6 million, while in the same year there were estimated to be around 136 thousand people aged 100 or over.

Throughout the Common Era, Western Europe's population development fluctuated greatly. The population was very similar at the beginning and end of the first millennium, at around 25 million people. The largest decline in this period occurred in the sixth century, due to the Plague of Justinian, which the source claims to have killed around one third of the continent's population (although recent studies dispute this). Similarly, the population fell by almost 17 million throughout the 14th century, due to the Black Death.

Improvements in agriculture and infrastructure then saw population growth increase once more from the 15th century onwards, before the onset of the demographic transition saw a population boom throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The total population in European Union was estimated at 450.4 million people in 2025, 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 0.1 percent in 2024, falling to an overall total of approximately 745 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.

Population growth (annual %) in European Union was reported at 0.16884 % in 2024, 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 October of 2025.

The world's population first reached one billion people in 1805, and reached eight billion in 2022, and will peak at almost 10.2 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 lives 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 few years 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.

Population ages 15-64, total in European Union was reported at 286203435 Persons in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Population ages 15-64, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Population ages 20-24, female (% of female population) in European Union was reported at 5.0643 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Population ages 20-24, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

This line chart displays urban population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Europe. The data is about countries per year.

Population, total in European Union was reported at 450185396 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

This statistic shows the total population of the European Union from 2010 to 2025. 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 2025, the total population of the European Union amounted to approximately 450.38 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.

Population Growth for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia was -0.67288 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Growth for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia reached a record high of 1.77144 in January of 1960 and a record low of -0.67288 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Growth for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

Population Growth: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia was -0.04490 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Growth: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia reached a record high of 1.39388 in January of 1960 and a record low of -0.04490 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Growth: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

This line chart displays rural population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Northern Europe. The data is about countries per year.

This line chart displays female population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Northern Europe. The data is about countries per year.

United States - Population Growth for Central Europe and the Baltics was -0.11321 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population Growth for Central Europe and the Baltics reached a record high of 1.65882 in January of 1960 and a record low of -1.37100 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population Growth for Central Europe and the Baltics - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

Sweden - Population as a % of EU population was 2.30% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Sweden - Population as a % of EU population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on October of 2025. Historically, Sweden - Population as a % of EU population reached a record high of 2.40% in December of 2023 and a record low of 2.10% in December of 2011.

This line chart displays population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Northern Europe. The data is about countries per year.

European Union - Proportion of population aged 15-24 years was 10.70% 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 15-24 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on October of 2025. Historically, European Union - Proportion of population aged 15-24 years reached a record high of 11.90% in December of 2010 and a record low of 10.50% in December of 2022.

In 2024, Russia had the largest population among European countries at ***** million people. The next largest countries in terms of their population size were Turkey at **** million, Germany at **** million, the United Kingdom at **** million, and France at **** million. Europe is also home to some of the world’s smallest countries, such as the microstates of Liechtenstein and San Marino, with populations of ****** and ****** respectively. Europe’s largest economies Germany was Europe’s largest economy in 2023, with a Gross Domestic Product of around *** trillion Euros, while the UK and France are the second and third largest economies, at *** trillion and *** trillion euros respectively. Prior to the mid-2000s, Europe’s fourth-largest economy, Italy, had an economy that was of a similar sized to France and the UK, before diverging growth patterns saw the UK and France become far larger economies than Italy. Moscow and Istanbul the megacities of Europe Two cities on the eastern borders of Europe were Europe’s largest in 2023. The Turkish city of Istanbul, with a population of 15.8 million, and the Russian capital, Moscow, with a population of 12.7 million. Istanbul is arguably the world’s most famous transcontinental city with territory in both Europe and Asia and has been an important center for commerce and culture for over 2,000 years. Paris was the third largest European city with a population of ** million, with London being the fourth largest at *** million.