Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on Demographic challenges for the EU.

Demography matters. It matters for the economy, for the labour market, for healthcare and pensions, even for election results.

But future demographic trends in the EU are not encouraging. No than not.

A number of demographic challenges such as the declining birth rate and aging population and depopulation of some of its regions

threatens the future demographic stability of the continent.

So what are the EU and its member states doing about it? Stay with us.

Today the EU represents an ever-shinking

proportion of the world population, 6.9% compared to 13.5% in 1960, and it's expected to fall to

just 4.1% by the end of the century.

This is partly explained by the low fertility rates as the numbers of children being born

has fallen from an EU 28 average of around 2.5 children per woman in 1960

to little under 1.6 today.

This is far below the 2.1 births per woman considered necessary to maintain a stable

population in the long term. Apart from shrinking, the EU population is also clearly aging. Due to advances

in medicine and quality of life, we live longer than ever before, 81 years on average, and Europe's

population is also becoming more urban.

Indeed, as opportunities multiply in and around cities, some rural areas face difficult challenges

linked to depopulation, and all these trends will have profound implications on the health sector,

the labour market, our pension systems, or the capacity of governments

to raise tax revenue and balance their own finances.

To grasp the magnitude of the challenge, just consider this figure.

In 2006, there were four people of working age for each person over 65.

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