Belgian population forecast to reach 11m by 2050

18 August 2004

BRUSSELS – The Belgian population is expected to rise by five percent to 11 million in 2050, figures published Wednesday showed.

The increase is expected even though an 8 percent fall to 668 million inhabitants is forecast for the overall European population, Belgian news agency Belga reported.

The United States will see a 43 percent rise to 419.9 million, according to a report by the population reference bureau (PRB) in Washington.

“Around 99 percent of population growth takes place in the world’s poorer countries, while it is falling in rich countries. Among the major industrialised nations, only the United States has seen a rise,” said the PRB.

In Europe, an increase is also expected in France before 2050, which would translate as a 7 percent rise. In the UK, the figures are projected to go up 10 percent to 65.4 million.

By contrast, the German population is set to fall by nine percent to 75.1 million inhabitants and in Italy by ten percent to 52.3 million.

This negative trend would continue in Spain, where the projected figures fall three percent to 41.3 million and in Portugal by eleven percent to 9.3 million.

Russian inhabitants are expected to decrease by 17 percent and central and eastern European countries by even more.

Subject: Belgian news