The EU’s population rose to an estimated 452.0 million people on 1 January 2026, up by 706,000 from a year earlier.
It was the fifth consecutive year of population growth across the bloc, following a fall in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostat said in a release on Friday.
More deaths than births have been recorded in the EU each year since 2012, but overall population levels have been maintained and increased through net migration — the difference between people moving into and out of the EU.
The EU’s population on 1 January 2026 was 8.0 million higher than in 2016 and 16.0 million higher than in 2006.
Over a longer period, the EU’s population grew by 97.5 million people between 1960 (354.5 million) and 2026 (452.0 million), while the pace of growth slowed — averaging 3.0 million people per year in the 1960s compared with 0.6 million per year in the 2010s.
Germany largest as Malta smallest
National populations ranged from 83.5 million people in Germany to 0.6 million in Malta on 1 January 2026, Eurostat said.
Five countries accounted for about two-thirds of the EU’s population: Germany (18.5%), France (15.3%), Italy (13.0%), Spain (11.0%) and Poland (8.0%).
Between 1 January 2025 and 1 January 2026, the population increased in 16 EU countries, with the highest growth rates in Malta (+24.1 per 1,000 people), Cyprus (+13.7) and Luxembourg (+13.1).
The sharpest rates of decline were recorded in Latvia (-8.3 per 1,000 people), Estonia (-6.8) and Hungary (-5.4).
