The European Commission on Wednesday adopted its first-ever Report on the Impact of Demographic Change, giving an overview of the situation in the EU member states and the long-term consequences of such change.

“This report is very important because without it we would not be able to continue work in my department,” said Dubravka Suica, EC Vice-President for Democracy and Demography.

The report was her task in the first six months of her term in office. It gives a snapshot of the situation and provides the foundation for the upcoming Green Paper on Ageing and Long-term Vision for Rural Areas.

The report describes long-term demographic trends in European regions, from longer life expectancy to lower birth rates, ageing societies, smaller households and increasing urbanisation. It also shows Europe’s declining share of global population, which is expected to account for less than 4% of the world’s population by 2070.

By 2070, life expectancy is projected to increase to 90 years for women and 86 years for men. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 83.7 years for women and 78.2 years for men.

Fifty years from now, 30.3% of the European population is expected to be aged 65 years or older (compared to 20.3% in 2019) and 13.2% is projected to be aged 80 years or older (compared to 5.8% in 2019).

The working-age population has been shrinking for the past 10 years and is expected to decline by 18% by 2070.

“The crisis has exposed many vulnerabilities, some of which are linked to the profound demographic change already affecting our societies and communities across Europe,” Suica said.