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Portugal to have lowest number of young people in EU by 2050: Eurostat

Xinhua, April 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Portugal could become the European Union member state that has the lowest number of people under the age of 15 by the year 2050, according to a report released on Thursday by Eurostat.

The figures come as the government debates measures to boost the country's low birth rate, including the reduction of working hours for parents and grandparents who work in the public sector. The measures will be put to vote on Friday.

According to the report, children less than 15 years of age will make up just 11.5 percent of the Portuguese population by 2050.

Portugal will be followed by Slovakia (11.8 percent), Germany (12.7 percent) and Greece (12.9 percent).

Ireland will have the biggest percentage of young people (19.4 percent), followed by France (17.4 percent), the United Kingdom (17.3 percent) and Belgium (17.2 percent), according to the report.

Last year, children under 15 in Portugal made up 14.6 percent of the population, already below the European average of 15.6 percent.

The report also pointed out that the Portuguese were among those who lived at their family households the longest - until the age of 29 approximately.

Europe's young population has decreased by 10 million over the past 20 years, according to Eurostat. Endit