Average age of EU population climbs

BARCELONA: The average age of the European population has gone up by 2½ years in the past decade, according to Eurostat data.

In Spain, the average age has climbed by 4.3 years, the highest rise in the EU behind Portugal (4.7).

However, the Center for Demographic Studies in Barcelona said that although half of Europeans are now over 44.4 years old, the main concern was the lack of children being born. Half the population in Spain is over 45 years old, according to Eurostat, but the average age is highest in Italy (48 years), followed by Germany (45.8), Portugal (46.8), Greece (46.1) and Croatia (45.5). The low birth rates are pronounced. |