27 September 2007

MADRID - Europe is losing its youngsters and rapidly aging, according to a report by the Institute for Family Policies released this week in Spain.

The 2007 Report on the Evolution of the Family in Europe found that the number of young people aged below 14 had slumped 23 million across the continent, defined as the 27 EU states, between 1980 and 2005, falling from a 22.1 percent to a 16.2 percent share overall.

Lola Velarde, president of the European Network Institute for Family Policies, revealed that whereas in 1980 youngsters outnumbered adults by 36 million, the latter were now in the ascendancy.

"Europe is getting old," said Velarde, alluding to falling birth rates which she described as "worrying for the future" with the population of the United States projected to rise above that of the EU by 2060.

The total population of the EU states rose by 37.6 million between 1980 and 2007 for growth of 8.2 percent, a rate which slowed to four percent between 1994 and 2007 and 2.1 percent for 2002-2007.

The report notes that it is immigration which is now sustaining growth "in almost all European countries."

The trend is particularly pronounced in Spain with the rate of immigration running 10 times ahead of natural domestic population growth.

The report adds that whereas 5.1 million children were born in the EU last year that was a million down on the figure for 1982 -- a fall of 16.6 percent.

(Copyright AFP with Expatica)

Subject: Spanish news