Demographics of Europe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The population growth/decline of European countries
The population growth/decline of European countries

The demographics of Europe refers to the demography of the population that inhabits the European continent. This pertains mainly to the changing number and composition of the population of Europe. Since the Renaissance, Europe has had a dominating influence in culture, economics and social movements in the world. European demography is important not only historically, but also in understanding current international relations and population issues.

Some current and past issues in European demography have included religious emigration, race relations, economic immigration, a declining birth rate and an ageing population. In some countries, such as the Republic of Ireland and Poland, access to abortion is currently limited; in the past, such restrictions and also restrictions on artificial birth control were commonplace throughout Europe. Furthermore, two European countries (currently The Netherlands and Switzerland) have allowed a limited form of voluntary euthanasia. It remains to be seen how much demographic impact this may have.

In 2005 the population of Europe was estimated to be 728 million according to the United Nations, which is slightly more than one-ninth of the world's population. A century ago, Europe had nearly a quarter of the world's population. The population of Europe has grown in the past century, but in other areas of the world (in particular Africa and Asia) the population has grown far more quickly.[1] According to UN population projection (medium variant), Europe's share will fall to 7% in 2050, numbering 653 million.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Total population

Current population of European countries
Current population of European countries

In 2005, the population of Europe was 728 million or 11% of the world population. It has been growing from 500 million after World War II, peaked in the early 2000s at more than 700 million and has since then begun a decline.[1]

Year Population in thousands[1]
1950 547,405
1960 604,406
1970 655,862
1980 692,435
1990 721,390
2000 728,463
2005 728,389
2010 725,786
2020 714,959
2030 698,140
2040 677,191
2050 653,323

[edit] Regions

Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (other categorisations may vary):      Northern Europe      Western Europe      Eastern Europe      Southern Europe
Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (other categorisations may vary):      Northern Europe      Western Europe      Eastern Europe      Southern Europe

The countries in this table are categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated.

According to different definitions, such as consideration of the concept of Central Europe, the following territories and regions may be subject to various other categorisations.

Name of region[2] and
territory, with flag		 Area
(km²)		 Population
(1 July, 2008 est.)		 Population density
(per km²)		 Capital
Eastern Europe:
Flag of Belarus Belarus 207,600 9,714,000 46.8 Minsk
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria[3] 110,910 7,514,858 67.7 Sofia
Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic[4] 78,866 10,381,744 131.6 Prague
Flag of Hungary Hungary[5] 93,030 10,040,108 107,9 Budapest
Flag of Moldova Moldova[6] 33,843 4,848,490 143.2 Chişinău
Flag of Poland Poland[7] 312,685 38,115,241 121.9 Warsaw
Flag of Romania Romania[8] 238,391 22,276,056 93.4 Bucharest
Flag of Russia Russia[9] 3,960,000 140,500,702 10,0 Moscow
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine[10] 603,700 46,299,862 76.7 Kyiv
Northern Europe:
Flag of Åland Islands Åland (Finland) 1,552 26,008 16.8 Mariehamn
Flag of Denmark Denmark 43,094 5,368,854 124.6 Copenhagen
Flag of Estonia Estonia 45,226 1,415,681 31.3 Tallinn
Flag of the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands (Denmark) 1,399 46,011 32.9 Tórshavn
Flag of Finland Finland 336,593 5,157,537 15.3 Helsinki
Flag of Guernsey Guernsey[11] 78 64,587 828.0 St Peter Port
Flag of Iceland Iceland 103,000 307,261 2.7 Reykjavík
Flag of Ireland Ireland 70,280 4,234,925 60.3 Dublin
Flag of the Isle of Man Isle of Man[12] 572 73,873 129.1 Douglas
Flag of Jersey Jersey[13] 116 89,775 773.9 Saint Helier
Flag of Latvia Latvia 64,589 2,366,515 36.6 Riga
Flag of Lithuania Lithuania 65,200 3,601,138 55.2 Vilnius
Flag of Norway Norway 324,220 4,525,116 14.0 Oslo
Flag of Norway Svalbard and Jan
Mayen Islands (Norway)		 62,049 2,868 0.046 Longyearbyen
Flag of Sweden Sweden 449,964 9,090,113 19.7 Stockholm
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 244,820 59,201,000 244.2 London
Southern Europe:
Flag of Albania Albania[14] 28,748 3,600,523 125.2 Tirana
Flag of Andorra Andorra 468 68,403 146.2 Andorra la Vella
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina[15] 51,129 3,981,239 77,9 Sarajevo
Flag of Croatia Croatia[16] 56,542 4,453,500 78.8 Zagreb
Flag of Gibraltar Gibraltar (UK) 5.9 27,714 4,697.3 Gibraltar
Flag of Greece Greece[17] 131,940 11,245,291 82 Athens
Flag of Italy Italy[18] 301,230 58,147,733 193 Rome
Flag of Kosovo Kosovo 10,887 2,126,708 195 Pristina
Flag of the Republic of Macedonia Macedonia[19] 25,333 2,055,915 81.1 Skopje
Flag of Malta Malta 316 397,499 1,257.9 Valletta
Flag of Montenegro Montenegro[20] 13,812 684,736 49.6 Podgorica
Flag of Portugal Portugal[21] 91,568 10,676,910 110.1 Lisbon
Flag of San Marino San Marino 61 27,730 454.6 San Marino
Flag of Serbia Serbia 77,474 7,498,006 96.7 Belgrade
Flag of Slovenia Slovenia[22] 20,273 2,009,245 99.1 Ljubljana
Flag of Spain Spain[23] 498,506 40,077,100 80.4 Madrid
Flag of the Vatican City Vatican City 0.44 900 2,045.5 Vatican City
Western Europe:
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia[24] 48,845 5,447,502 111.53 Bratislava
Flag of Austria Austria 83,858 8,169,929 97.4 Vienna
Flag of Belgium Belgium 30,510 10,274,595 336.8 Brussels
Flag of France France[25] 547,030 61,538,322 109.3 Paris
Flag of Germany Germany 357,021 83,251,851 233.2 Berlin
Flag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 160 32,842 205.3 Vaduz
Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg 2,586 448,569 173.5 Luxembourg
Flag of Monaco Monaco 1.95 31,987 16,403.6 Monaco
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands[26] 41,526 16,318,199 393.0 Amsterdam
Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 41,290 7,301,994 176.8 Bern
Central Asia:
Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan[27] 150,000 600,000 4.0 Astana
Western Asia:[28]
Flag of Armenia Armenia 0 2,968,586 101 Yerevan
Flag of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan[29] 7,110 8,653,000 97 Baku
Flag of Cyprus Cyprus[30] 0 867,600 90 Nicosia
Flag of Georgia (country) Georgia 2,000 4,661,473 66 Tbilisi
Flag of Turkey Turkey[31] 24,378 70,586,256 93 Ankara
Total 10,176,246[32] 709,608,850[33] 69.7

[edit] Age

Main article: Aging of Europe

Perhaps mirroring its declining population growth, European countries tend to have older populations overall. European countries had nine of the top ten highest median ages in national populations in 2005. Only Japan had an older population.[34]

[edit] Religion

Predominant religions in Europe      Roman Catholicism      Orthodox Christianity      Protestantism      Sunni Islam      Shia Islam      Judaism
Predominant religions in Europe      Roman Catholicism      Orthodox Christianity      Protestantism      Sunni Islam      Shia Islam      Judaism
Main article: Religion in Europe

Religion in Europe spans approximately 10,000 years of human settlement on the continent. It has developed from the earliest prehistoric spirituality via the Ancient Greek, Roman and Nordic faiths to the spread of the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Europe has a rich and diverse religious history, and its various faiths have been a major influence on European art, culture, philosophy and law. In modern times, the overwhelming majority of religious Europeans are Christian; the second-largest religion in Europe is Islam, followed by Judaism. Europe also has the largest number and proportion of agnostics and atheists in the Western world.

[edit] Nationality

Further information: European ethnic groups

[edit] Language

Main article: Languages of Europe

Europe has 30-40 major languages depending on definition. The European Union (EU), which currently excludes Norway and many eastern European countries, recognises 23 official languages as of 2007.[35] According to the same source, the seven most natively spoken languages in the EU are (percentage of total European population[36]):

Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).
Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).
  1. 18% German
  2. 13% French
  3. 12% English
  4. 12% Italian
  5. 9% Spanish
  6. 9% Polish
  7. 5% Dutch

These figures change slightly when foreign language skills are taken into account. The list below shows the top eight European languages ordered by total number of speakers in the EU:[37]

  1. 51% English
  2. 32% German
  3. 26% French
  4. 16% Italian
  5. 15% Spanish
  6. 10% Polish
  7. 7% Russian
  8. 6% Dutch

This makes German the most frequently spoken native language and English the most frequently spoken language overall in the European Union, with German the second-most common language overall.

[edit] Foreign language skills

Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Malta, Sweden, Slovenia, Belgium, and Finland are the EU countries with the most foreign language skills. This refers to all foreign languages. English is spoken most frequently in Malta, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The largest countries in Europe have the following percentages of English language skills: 44% Germany, 32% France, 28% Italy, 22% Poland, 18% Spain. The countries with the least foreign language skills are the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain.[38] [39]

[edit] Extinct and endangered languages

Many languages have become extinct in Europe and the process is continuing. Languages that are already rated as extinct by the UNESCO Red Book include Old Prussian, Cornish, and two Jewish languages. Nearly extinct and seriously endangered languages include several Sami, Frisian, and regional Jewish languages, Tsakonian and Breton.[40]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c UNPP, 2004 Revision World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision Population Database. United Nations Population Division, 2005. Last accessed October 25, 2006.
  2. ^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below may be in one or both of Europe and Asia, Africa, or Oceania.
  3. ^ Data for 2007.
  4. ^ Data for 2007.
  5. ^ Data for 2007.
  6. ^ Includes Transnistria, a region that has declared, and de facto achieved, independence; however, it is not recognised de jure by sovereign states.
    Data for 2007.
  7. ^ Data for 2007.
  8. ^ Data for 2007.
  9. ^ Russia
  10. ^ Data for 2007.
  11. ^ Guernsey is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  12. ^ Isle of Man is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  13. ^ Jersey is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  14. ^ Data for 2007.
  15. ^ Data for 2007.
  16. ^ Data for 2007.
  17. ^ Data for 2007.
  18. ^ Data for 2007.
  19. ^ Data for 2007.
  20. ^ Montenegro declared independence from the union of Serbia and Montenegro on 3 June, 2006.
    Data for 2007.
  21. ^ Figures for Portugal include the Azores west of Portugal but exclude the Madeira Islands, west of Morocco in Africa.
  22. ^ Data for 2007.
  23. ^ Figures for Spain exclude the Canary Islands, west of Morocco in Africa, and the exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are on the northwest of the African continent.
  24. ^ Data for 2007.
  25. ^ Figures for France include only metropolitan France: some politically integral parts of France are geographically located outside Europe.
  26. ^ Netherlands population for July 2004. Population and area details include European portion only: Netherlands and two entities outside Europe (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, in the Caribbean) constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is the official capital, while The Hague is the administrative seat.
  27. ^ Kazakhstan is sometimes considered a transcontinental country in Central Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe, with European territory west of the Ural Mountains and both the Ural and Emba rivers; area figures are for European portion out of total.
  28. ^ Armenia and Cyprus are sometimes considered transcontinental countries: both are physiographically in Western Asia but have historical and sociopolitical connections with Europe.
  29. ^ Azerbaijan is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for European portion (north of the crest of the Caucasus and the Kura River) out of total. This excludes the exclave of Nakhichevan and Nagorno-Karabakh (a region that has declared, and de facto achieved, independence; however, it is not recognised de jure by sovereign states).
  30. ^ Cyprus is considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe, but politically aligns itself with Europe and is a member of the European Union; population figures are UN estimates for the entire island, including the northern portion currently occupied by Turkey in violation of international law. This region has declared de facto achieved, independence; however, it is not recognised de jure by sovereign states aside other than Turkey.
  31. ^ Turkey is generally considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Southern Europe: the region of Rumelia (Trakya) – which includes the provinces of Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ, and the western parts of the Çanakkale and Istanbul Provinces – is west and north of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles; population and area figures are for European portion (including all of Istanbul) out of total population.
  32. ^ The total area figure includes only European portions of transcontinental countries.
  33. ^ The total population figure includes only European portions of transcontinental countries.
  34. ^ United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision Highlights. 2005
  35. ^ EUROPA - Education and Training - Languages in Europe
  36. ^ see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#languages%20of%20EU%2015 for full list
  37. ^ see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#Foreign%20language%20skills for full list
  38. ^ Eurobarometer 54 Special - Europeans and languages
  39. ^ EUROPA - Education and Training - Languages in Europe
  40. ^ Endangered languages in Europe: indexes

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Demographics of Europe
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories

Abkhazia 2 · Adjara1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Greenland7 · Guernsey · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kosovo · Isle of Man · Madeira8 · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · Northern Cyprus1 · South Ossetia 2 · Svalbard · Transnistria
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Entirely in Southwest Asia.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Has part of its territory in Asia / North America / South America / Africa.  7 / 8 Entirely on the North American Plate / African Plate.
v • d • e
Europe
Culture · Demographics · Economy · Geography · History · Microstates · Politics