A new thematic data story of the Atlas of Demography provides an overview of the demographic challenges of EU Member States and the policy responses they have adopted to address them.

Addressing demographic change is key to building a more resilient and sustainable economy and a fairer society for the future.

Demographic trends do not affect all EU countries and regions in the same way. Even if Europe as a whole is an ageing continent, the pace at which regions grow older differs significantly.

Some regions will experience significant population decline already in the next years, whereas in other regions the population is projected to grow.

The same applies to migration flows, which affect rural and urban areas in markedly different ways.

The policy response to the demographic challenges will therefore also vary between EU Member States, depending on the specific needs of the regions.

The demographic challenges and the policy response are nevertheless underpinned by some common concerns, and there is space for mutual learning and sharing of best practices.

A new thematic story of the Atlas of Demography aims to facilitate this by providing an overview of the demographic challenges that EU Member States consider most prominent as well as the policy responses they have been putting in place to overcome them.

The story is based on a 2022 survey conducted by the European Commission and the Social Protection Committee (SPC), which explored the demographic challenges faced by the EU Member States and mapped the national strategies and action plans to address these challenges.

The results illustrated in the Atlas of Demography story show that most Member States identify an ageing population and a declining working-age population among their biggest demographic challenges.

Many Member States also cite migration and migrant integration, long-term sustainability of the welfare state and increased needs in health and long-term care (including mental health) among the demographic challenges they are dealing with.

The story also provides a snapshot of the national initiatives to tackle demographic change and its effects.

The Atlas of Demography story is published to facilitate the exchange of best practices and mutual learning on issues informing policy responses to demographic change across the EU.