The population of the European Union almost reached 513 million people as of January 1, 2018, with the increase being driven by immigration.

The first EU population estimate for 2018 was released by Eurostat, the EU statistical body, just before the World Population Day (11 July).

Thus, on January 1, 2018, the population of the Union was estimated at 512.6 million – up from 511.5 million a year earlier.

Throughout 2017, the EU saw negative natural change of its population, with 5.3 million deaths and 5.1 million births).

“The population change (positive, with 1.1 million more inhabitants) was therefore due to net migration,” Eurostat concludes.

In total, the population of the EU increased by 1.1 million people (+2.1 per 1000 residents) during the 2017.

Germany remained the most populous EU member state with 82.9 million residents (or 16.2% of the total EU population on 1 January 2018).

It came ahead of France (67.2 million, or 13.1%), the United Kingdom (66.2 million, or 12.9%), Italy (60.5 million, or 11.8%), Spain (46.7 million, or 9.1%) and Poland (38.0 million, or 7.4%).

Of the remaining 22 EU member states, nine have a share of between 1.5% and 4% of the EU population and thirteen a share below 1.5%.

Throughout 2017, the population of 19 member states grew, while the other 9 saw their population decline.

The largest relative increase was observed in Malta (+32.9 per 1 000 residents), ahead of Luxembourg (+19.0‰), Sweden (+12.4‰), Ireland (+11.2‰) and Cyprus (+11.0‰).

In contrast, the largest decrease was recorded in Lithuania (-13.8‰), followed by Croatia (-11.8‰), Latvia (-8.1‰), Bulgaria (-7.3‰) and Romania (-6.2‰).

A total of 5.1 million babies were born in the EU in 201, almost 90 000 fewer than the previous year, for a crude birth rate of 9.9 per 1 000 residents.

The highest crude birth rates in 2017 were recorded in Ireland (12.9 per 1 000 residents), Sweden (11.5‰), the United Kingdom and France (both 11.4‰).

The lowest were registered in southern member states: Italy (7.6‰), Greece (8.2‰), Portugal and Spain (both 8.4‰), Croatia (8.9‰) and Bulgaria (9.0‰).

A total of 5.3 million deaths were registered in the EU in 2017, 134 200 fewer than the previous year, for a combined crude death rate of 10.3 per 1 000 residents.

The lowest crude death rates were recorded in Ireland (6.3 per 1 000 residents) and Cyprus (7.0‰) as well as Luxembourg (7.1‰), followed by Malta (7.6‰), the Netherlands (8.8‰), Spain and France (both 9.0‰).

At the opposite end of the scale, Bulgaria (15.5‰), Latvia (14.8‰), Lithuania (14.2‰), Hungary (13.5‰), Romania (13.3‰) and Croatia (12.9‰) recorded the highest.

Ireland (with a natural change of its population of +6.6‰) remained in 2017 the member state where births most outnumbered deaths.

It was followed by Cyprus (+3.8‰), Luxembourg (+3.2‰), France (+2.5‰), Sweden (+2.3‰) and the United Kingdom (+2.2‰).

In contrast, among the fourteen EU member states which registered a negative natural change in 2017, deaths outnumbered births the most in Bulgaria (-6.5‰), followed by Croatia and Latvia (both -4.1‰), Lithuania (-4.0‰), Hungary (-3.8‰), Romania (-3.6‰), Greece (-3.3‰) and Italy (-3.2‰).

(Banner image: Eurostat)