Share of children in total population decreased in most EU member states (Eurostat)

The share of children in the total population decreased over the last 20 years in all member states, except Denmark, according to a publication released Thursday by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.

The flagship publication, "Being young in Europe today," contains data on children (aged 0-14) and young people (15-29) in the EU and was launched days before the start of the 2015 European Youth Week.

According to report, the largest reductions in the share of children in the total population were observed in Cyprus, Poland, Slovakia and Malta.

In 2014, Ireland recorded by far the largest proportion of children, followed by France, Britain, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium. In contrast, the lowest shares of young people were observed in Germany, Bulgaria and Italy in 2014.

In 2014, the EU registered 10 million fewer children aged less than 15 than in 1994. Moreover, children accounted for 15.6 percent of the total population in 2014 at the EU level, down from 18.6 percent in 1994.

Based on population projections, the share of children was expected to slightly decrease in the future at the EU level, from 15.6 percent in 2014 to 15.0 percent by 2050. Slovakia, Portugal, Ireland and Spain could register the largest decreases in the share of children in their total population.

On the other hand, the share of people aged less than 15 was expected to rise by 2050 in nine member states compared with 2014, with the highest increases being projected for Lithuania and Latvia.

The average age of young people leaving the parental household stood at 26.1 in 2013 in the EU level, but significant differences can be observed across member states. The three Nordic member states were by far the countries where young people left home earliest: at 19.6 years in Sweden, 21.0 years in Denmark and 21.9 years in Finland.

At the opposite end of the scale, young people in Croatia remained the longest in the parental household, with an average age of 31.9, ahead of Slovakia, Malta and Italy.

It should also be noted that in every EU member state, young women tend to leave the parental household earlier than men, the highest differences between the genders being registered in Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.   Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
16/4/15
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