Among the 1216 “NUTS level 3” regions of the EU and EFTA countries, around two-thirds (802 regions) are projected to have a lower population in 2050 than in 2019, while about one-third (414 regions) are projected to have a higher population, according to data published today by Eurostat, the statistical service of the EU.
In Latvia and Lithuania, all the 16 NUTS level 3 regions have a projected population in 2050 smaller than in 2019, most of them by at least 20%. In Cyprus, a single region in the EU, an increase of around 10% is projected.
Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia have only one region with a projected positive population change by 2050.
Other countries with a large majority of regions with a projected decrease in population are Czechia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Finland.
The median age across these 31 countries is projected to increase by 4 years, from 45.1 years in 2019 to 49.1 years in 2050. Only in 131 of the 1216 regions (11% of the total) is the median age not projected to increase.
The fastest ageing populations are projected to be in regions located mainly in eastern Europe (Baltic countries, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria) and southern Europe (Italy, Spain and Portugal).
For the 160 (13%) fastest-ageing regions an increase in the median age by at least 8 years between 2019 and 2050 is projected.
Younger populations are projected for only 10% of regions (119), 8 in 10 of these being in Germany, for which the median age would decrease by 4 years at most.
Source: Cyprus News Agency