Europe—consisting of Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe—is the region with the lowest fertility rate and the only region in the world projected to see a decline in total population from 2020 to 2050. Half of the region’s countries already experience negative rates of natural increase (the number of deaths surpass the number of births). Its total population is expected to decline by 2% from 747 million in 2020 to 729 million in 2050. With an average total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.5, all countries in Europe have below replacement level fertility. A total fertility rate of 2.1 is replacement level fertility, the average number of children a couple needs to have to replace themselves. Almost a quarter of the region’s countries have a TFR at or below 1.3. As a result, the size of the future population will likely be largely determined by patterns of international migration. Europe also has the world’s oldest population, with older adults ages 65 and older accounting for almost one in five (19%) of the region’s total population.
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In millions
Lifetime births per woman
Age distribution by sub-region
percent change in population
In millions
Lifetime births per woman
Age distribution by sub-region
Percent change in population
in millions
lifetime births per woman
age distribution by sub-region
percent change in population
Percent of total population. Note- Country codes used for some nations