By Gianluca Lo Nostro
(Reuters) -Migration into the European Union pushed its population to a record 450.4 million people last year, offsetting a natural population decline for the fourth straight year, EU data released on Friday showed.
WHY IT MATTERS
Since 2012, the EU has recorded more deaths than births annually, making migration the sole driver of population growth.
The trend highlights Europe’s demographic challenge as an aging population and low fertility rates strain welfare systems and create labor shortages.
BY THE NUMBERS
The bloc added 1.07 million inhabitants in 2024, with positive net migration of 2.3 million people compensating for a natural population decline of 1.3 million as deaths (4.82 million) continued to outweigh births (3.56 million).
Germany, France and Italy remain the bloc’s most populous countries, accounting for almost half of the total EU population with 47%.
While 19 EU countries recorded population increases in 2024, eight saw declines.
Malta recorded the highest growth rate at 19.0 per 1,000 people, followed by Ireland (16.3) and Luxembourg (14.7).
Among countries with declining populations, Latvia was the steepest (-9.9), followed by Hungary (-4.7), Poland and Estonia (both -3.4).
The bloc’s population has grown from 354.5 million in 1960, though growth rates have slowed significantly from 3 million annually in the 1960s to 0.9 million during 2005-2024.
KEY QUOTES
“The observed population growth can be largely attributed to the increased migratory movements post-COVID-19,” EU statistics arm Eurostat said.
CONTEXT
Population in the 27 member states had declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some European governments have also tightened border controls amid public concerns over migration even as irregular border crossings dropped 38% in 2024 to their lowest level since 2021.
Belgium, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands have all introduced temporary border checks over the past year and a half, straining the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone.
The EU also rolled out a revamped migration system last year aimed at reducing irregular arrivals and speeding up asylum procedures.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
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