The European Union’s population climbed to 451 million people in 2025, up by around one million from the previous year, according to the newly released *Demography of
Europe: 2026 edition*, an interactive publication presenting the latest demographic data across the bloc.
The report highlights the continuing ageing of Europe’s population, with people aged 80 and over now accounting for 6% of all EU residents. The median age across the EU also increased significantly over the past two decades, rising from 39.6 years in 2005 to 44.9 years in 2025.
The publication also shows growing mobility within the bloc. Around 14 million people — roughly 3% of the EU population — were living in an EU country other than the one of their citizenship in 2025.
Germany remained the EU’s most populous country with 84 million inhabitants, representing 19% of the bloc’s total population. France followed with 69 million people, ahead of Italy (59 million), Spain (49 million) and Poland (36 million). Together, the five countries accounted for two-thirds of the EU population.
At the other end of the scale, Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus remained the least populous member states, each representing less than 0.2% of the EU total.
Over the 20-year period from 2005 to 2025, the EU population grew by 4%, increasing from 435 million to 451 million people. Nineteen member states recorded population growth during that period, while eight saw declines.
Luxembourg posted the largest relative increase, with its population expanding by 48%, followed by Malta (43%), Cyprus (34%) and Ireland (32%). Meanwhile, Latvia recorded the sharpest decline at 17%, ahead of Bulgaria (16%), Lithuania (14%), Romania (11%) and Croatia (10%).
In absolute terms, France and Spain saw the biggest population gains, each adding around six million people over the two decades. Romania and Poland recorded the largest declines, both losing around two million residents, while Bulgaria’s population fell by approximately one million.
The interactive publication is organised into four sections — population structure, population change, population diversity and marital status — and includes downloadable datasets and visualisations designed to help users compare demographic developments across EU countries over time.