The European Union's total population is projected to fall by 11.7% by 2100, according to new estimates released by Eurostat on Thursday.
The EU's statistical office published population projections based on current demographic data, forecasting that the bloc's population will shrink by around 53 million people to 398.8 million by the end of the century.
The projections show that the EU population, estimated at 451.8 million in 2025, is expected to peak at 453.3 million in 2029 before entering a long-term decline through 2100.
Eurostat also projected that the share of children, young people, and working-age people in the overall population will decline between 2025 and 2100.
The share of those aged 0-19 is expected to decline from 20% to 17%, while the proportion of people aged 20-64 is forecast to drop from 58% to 50%.
By contrast, the share of older people is expected to rise over the same period.
The proportion of those aged 65-79 is projected to increase from 16% in 2025 to 17% in 2100, while the share of people aged 80 and over is expected to jump from 6% to 16%.
