Europe: 31 people over 65 per 100 aged 15–64, 50 by 2050 in the UN projection
In 1990 it was 19. Today there are 3.2 people of working age per older person, 2.0 by 2050. Italy by 2050: 70 per 100, Greece 65, Cyprus 43.
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How many older people there are per person of usual working age shapes pensions, doctors, carers and who will do the work. Those over 65 in 2050 are alive already and almost all are working now, so this projection is firmer than most.
Line: people aged 65+ per 100 aged 15–64, European countries summed. Solid: UN estimates; dashed: the medium variant to 2050.
- Europe: people 65+ per 100 aged 15–64 per 100
1990: 19.0; 2023: 31.2; 2050: 49.5
- Italy: people 65+ per 100 aged 15–64 per 100
2023: 38.1; 2050: 70.4
- Greece: people 65+ per 100 aged 15–64 per 100
2023: 37.3; 2050: 65.1
- Cyprus: people 65+ per 100 aged 15–64 per 100
2023: 20.6; 2050: 43.4
UN World Population Prospects 2024: population, children under 15 and people 65+ of European countries; working age = population − under 15 − 65+. Summed over countries, then the ratio.
Working age is a convention: many aged 15–24 study, many over 65 work. The site's main chart has a similar measure per 100 aged 20–64, so its numbers are higher. The projection of older people hardly depends on births; the working-age number in 2050 also depends on migration.
A question for this picture
And future workers? Those who will be 20–39 in 2045 are already born, and there are fewer of them.