Median age in the EU increased by 2.2 years since 2014

On 1 January 2024, the median age of the EU’s population reached 44.7 years. This means that half of the people in the EU were older than 44.7 years, while the other half was younger. Across the EU, it ranged from 39.4 years in Ireland to 48.7 years in Italy.

The median age has increased by 2.2 years since 2014, when it was 42.5 years. Increases were recorded in all EU countries, except Malta (-0.7 years) and Germany (-0.1 years).

The ageing of the population was most pronounced in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Slovakia, with the median increasing by 4.0 years. The median age in Cyprus, Spain and Poland increased by 3.8 years.

Source dataset: demo_pjanind

Native-born population 2 years older than foreign-born

On 1 January 2024, the median age of the native-born population in the EU was 2 years higher than that of the foreign-born population (45.1 vs. 43.1 years). 

Compared with the native-born population, foreign-born people were overrepresented between the ages of 20 and 54, while they were underrepresented in both the younger and older age groups. In total, 59.7% of the foreign-born population was between the ages of 20 and 54, compared with 42.1% of the native-born population.

Source dataset: demo_poppcctb