Evidence for policy on World Population Day

The world population is living longer than ever. For more than a century, life expectancy has been increasing in most countries worldwide. In the EU, life expectancy has increased by more than two years per decade since the 1960s, reaching 81.5 years in 2023. 

This is a remarkable societal achievement, reflecting improvements in overall living and health conditions. However, increased life expectancy and declining birth rates are contributing to population ageing in the EU. 

The EU is transitioning into a new stage of social change – a society of longevity –, where a significant portion of the population is living longer and there is an increasing number of older people in the population.

As the EU makes this transition to a longevity society, it needs a vision that can exploit the advantages of longer lives, that does not see old age as a burden, where intergenerational exchange is facilitated. This requires substantial changes to how we see ageing and the contribution of older persons to society.

To mark the World Population Day, this newsletter delves into the latest research on the implications of an ageing society from the European Commission Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD).

The KCMD has been supporting EU decision makers with solid scientific evidence and data since 2016.

This newsletter provides a snapshot of our main publications, tools and findings in the first half of 2024. To receive the next issues directly in your inbox, please subscribe here.

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