Demographics of the European Union
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The demographics of the European Union show a highly populated, culturally diverse union of 25 member states, constantly expanding and developing.
As of January 1, 2006, the population of the EU is 463,523,400.<ref>"Total Population as of 01.01.06", EUROSTAT. Retrieved 12 November 2006.</ref> However, many countries are expected to experience a decline in population over the coming decades,<ref>"The EU's baby blues", BBC News, 27 March 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2006.</ref> though this could be offset with new countries planning to join the EU within the next 20 years.
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[edit] Population
The EU has an estimated population of 463.5 Mio. The most populous member state is Germany, with an estimated 82.4 Mio. people.
In the near future many member states are expecting a decline in population as birth rates fall, but this could be partially offset with the accession of other countries to the union - specifically Turkey.
[edit] Most Populous Urban Areas
The following is a list of the ten most populous areas in the European Union, with their population according to 2005 estimates.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population (2005 est.) | Change p.a. (1990s avg.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Image:Flag of France.svg | Paris, France | 10 136 000 | 0.21% |
| 2 Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | London, United Kingdom | 8 505 000 | 0.68% |
| 3 Image:Flag of Germany.svg | Ruhr area-Essen-Dortmund-Duisburg, Germany | 5 214 000 | – 0.14% |
| 4 Image:Flag of Spain.svg | Madrid, Spain | 5 078 000 | 0.32% |
| 5 Image:Flag of Italy.svg | Milan, Italy | 4 282 280 | 0.00% |
| 6 Image:Flag of Spain.svg | Barcelona, Spain | 4 043 000 | – 0.35% |
| 7 Image:Flag of Germany.svg | Berlin, Germany | 3 764 000 | 0.12% |
| 8 Image:Flag of Poland.svg | Upper Silesian Metropolitan Area, Poland | 3 487 000 | – 0.95% |
| 9 Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg | Rotterdam-The Hague, Netherlands | 3 345 000 | 0.50% |
| 10 Image:Flag of Greece.svg | Athens, Greece | 3 247 000 | 0.37% |
[edit] Migration
There is a substantial migration of people inside the Union; this occurs in strong patterns:
- from (former) industrialized areas in the Benelux, Britain and Germany to the Sun belts in Spain and Italy.
- from poorer eastern states of the EU to the richer countries of the western EU (UK, Germany, France)
[edit] Immigration & Emigration
There are currently more people immigrating into the European Union than there are emigrating from it. Immigration is a controversial issue in some member states such as Spain, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom.
Spain in particular receives most of the inmigrants coming illegally to Europe from Africa, probably due to its large coastal area and its proximity and borders to Morocco at Ceuta and Melilla; african immigrants try to enter the country by boat from Morocco or Senegal or by jumping the border fences. During the first weekend of September 2006, more than 1,300 illegal immigrants arrived on beaches in the Canary Islands <ref> Canaries migrant surge tops 1,300, BBC News, 4 September 2006, accessed 4 September 2006 </ref> (Spanish) and estimations are that between 50,000 and 70,000 people enter illegally the European Union through Spanish borders or beaches. border fences have been built at both the Ceuta and Melilla borders in an attempt to stop illegal entrance to the country. Illegal inmigration is an issue in Spanish politics, and also a big human rights problem, since many people die during the journey. In other countries, such as Ireland and Portugal, the issue is less controversial, possibly due to the fact that many Irish and Portuguese emigrated themselves in the recent past (particularly between the 1950s and 1980s).
The net immigration rate for the EU is 1.5 migrants per 1,000 head of population.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ee.html</ref> This figure is for migration into and out of the European Union, and therefore excludes any internal movements between member states.
[edit] Religion
The EU has significant religious diversity, mirroring its diverse history and culture. The majority of the population professes Christianity, predominantly Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Despite this, not all EU nations have Christian majorities (the Czech Republic and Estonia, for example, are majority-atheist).
The recent influx of immigrants to the affluent EU nations has brought in various religions of their native homelands, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, the Baha'i faith and Sikhism. Judaism has had a long history in Europe and has coexisted with the native populations for centuries, despite centuries of discrimination against Jewish people and several attendant periods of persecution or genocide by European rulers. As the Christian churches have historically wielded much power in Europe, reaction to this has allowed secularism to plant deep roots on European soil which has contributed to the rise in atheism and agnosticism.
[edit] Language
The first official languages of each of the 25 member countries has the status of an official language of the European Union. In total there are 20, soon to be 23, with Irish, Bulgarian and Romanian set to gain official language status on January 1, 2007. This expansion will be caused by the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the decision to make Irish an official language, considering that it is the first official language of Ireland, an EU member state.
English is the most spoken language in the EU, being spoken by around 51% of its population. Despite this, German is the most spoken first language, spoken by 18% of the population. English reaches its high percentage by being spoken by 38% of the population as a language other than mother tongue (i.e. second or foreign language).
[edit] Miscellanous statistics
Age structure: (2006 est.)
- 0-14 years: 16.03% (male 37,608,010/female 35,632,351)
- 15-64 years: 67.17% (male 154,439,536/female 152,479,619)
- 65 years and over: 16.81% (male 31,515,921/female 45,277,821)
Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: (2006 est.)
- at birth: N/A
- under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.96 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: (2006 est.)
- total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births
- male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births
- female: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy: (2006 est.)
- total population: 78.3 years
- male: 75.1 years
- female: 81.6 years
Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.)
[edit] See also
The demographics of the member states of the European Union:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
