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Europe has ''30-40 major languages'' depending on definition. The [[European Union]] (EU), which currently excludes [[Norway]] and many eastern European countries, recognises 23 official languages as of 2007.<ref>http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#Official%20eu</ref> According to the same source, the seven most natively spoken languages in the EU are (percentage of total European population<ref>see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#languages%20of%20EU%2015 for full list</ref>):
Europe has ''30-40 major languages'' depending on definition. The [[European Union]] (EU), which currently excludes [[Norway]] and many eastern European countries, recognises 23 official languages as of 2007.<ref>http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#Official%20eu</ref> According to the same source, the seven most natively spoken languages in the EU are (percentage of total European population<ref>see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#languages%20of%20EU%2015 for full list</ref>):
[[Image:Languages of Europe.png|thumb|350px|Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).]]
[[Image:Languages Of Europe.png|thumb|350px|Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).]]
# 18% [[German language|German]]
# 18% [[German language|German]]
# 13% [[French language|French]]
# 13% [[French language|French]]

Revision as of 00:16, 12 January 2008

The population growth/decline of European countries

The Demography of Europe refers to the changing number and composition of the population of Europe. Since the Renaissance, Europe has had a dominating influence in culture, economics and social movements in the world. European demography are important not only historically, but also in understanding current international relations and population issues.

Some current and past issues in European demography have included religious emigration, race relations, economic immigration, a declining birth rate and an ageing population. In some countries, such as the Republic of Ireland and Poland, access to abortion is currently limited; in the past, such restrictions and also restrictions on artificial birth control were commonplace throughout Europe. Furthermore, two European countries (currently The Netherlands and Switzerland) have allowed a limited form of voluntary euthanasia. It remains to be seen how much demographic impact this may have.

In 2005 the population of Europe was estimated to be 728 million according to the United Nations, which is slightly more than one-ninth of the world's population. A century ago, Europe had nearly a quarter of the world's population. The population of Europe has grown in the past century, but in other areas of the world (in particular Africa and Asia) the population has grown far more quickly.[1] According to UN population projection (medium variant), Europe's share will fall to 7% in 2050, numbering 653 million.[citation needed]

Total population

File:Europe population map countries.png
Current population of European countries

In 2005, the population of Europe was 728 million or 11% of the world population. It has been growing from 500 million after World War II, peaked in the early 2000s at more than 700 million and has since then begun a decline.[1]

Year Population in thousands[1]
1950 547,405
1960 604,406
1970 655,862
1980 692,435
1990 721,390
2000 728,463
2005 728,389
2010 725,786
2020 714,959
2030 698,140
2040 677,191
2050 653,323

Regions

File:Location-Europe-UNsubregions.png
Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (other categorisations may vary):
  Northern Europe
  Western Europe
  Eastern Europe
  Southern Europe

The countries in this table are categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United NaSEASDASDASDASDASDASDations, and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated.

According to different definitions, such as consideration of the concept of Central Europe, the following territories and regions may be subject to various other categorisations.

Name of region[2] and
territory, with flag 		Area
(km²) 		Population
(1 July, 2002 est.) 		Population density
(per km²) 		Capital
Eastern Europe:
 Belarus 207,600 10,335,382 49.8 Minsk
 Bulgaria[3] 110,910 7,322,858 68.4 Sofia
 Czech Republic[4] 78,866 10,228,744 129.7 Prague
 Hungary[5] 93,030 9,956,108 107 Budapest
 Moldova[6] 33,843 4,320,490 127.6 Chişinău
 Poland[7] 312,685 38,518,241 123.2 Warsaw
 Romania[8] 238,391 22,276,056 93.4 Bucharest
 Russia[9] 3,960,000 143,003,702 26.8 Moscow
 Slovakia[10] 48,845 5,447,502 111.53 Bratislava
 Ukraine[11] 603,700 46,299,862 76.7 Kiev
Northern Europe:
 Åland (Finland) 1,552 26,008 16.8 Mariehamn
 Denmark 43,094 5,368,854 124.6 Copenhagen
 Estonia 45,226 1,415,681 31.3 Tallinn
 Faroe Islands (Denmark) 1,399 46,011 32.9 Tórshavn
 Finland 336,593 5,157,537 15.3 Helsinki
 Guernsey[12] 78 64,587 828.0 St Peter Port
 Iceland 103,000 307,261 2.7 Reykjavík
 Ireland 70,280 4,234,925 60.3 Dublin
 Isle of Man[13] 572 73,873 129.1 Douglas
 Jersey[14] 116 89,775 773.9 Saint Helier
 Latvia 64,589 2,366,515 36.6 Riga
 Lithuania 65,200 3,601,138 55.2 Vilnius
 Norway 324,220 4,525,116 14.0 Oslo
Norway Svalbard and Jan
Mayen Islands (Norway) 		62,049 2,868 0.046 Longyearbyen
 Sweden 449,964 9,090,113 19.7 Stockholm
 United Kingdom 244,820 59,201,000 244.2 London
Southern Europe:
 Albania[15] 28,748 3,600,523 125.2 Tirana
 Andorra 468 68,403 146.2 Andorra la Vella
 Bosnia and Herzegovina[16] 51,129 4,552,198 89 Sarajevo
 Croatia[17] 56,542 4,493,312 79.5 Zagreb
 Gibraltar (UK) 5.9 27,714 4,697.3 Gibraltar
 Greece[18] 131,940 10,706,291 81.1 Athens
 Italy[19] 301,230 58,147,733 193 Rome
 Republic of Macedonia[20] 25,333 2,055,915 81.1 Skopje
 Malta 316 397,499 1,257.9 Valletta
 Montenegro[21] 13,812 684,736 49.6 Podgorica
 Portugal[22] 91,568 10,084,245 110.1 Lisbon
 San Marino 61 27,730 454.6 San Marino
 Serbia[23] 88,361 10,147,398 114.8 Belgrade
 Slovenia[24] 20,273 2,009,245 99.1 Ljubljana
 Spain[25] 498,506 40,077,100 80.4 Madrid
 Vatican City 0.44 900 2,045.5 Vatican City
Western Europe:
 Austria 83,858 8,169,929 97.4 Vienna
 Belgium 30,510 10,274,595 336.8 Brussels
 France[26] 547,030 61,538,322 109.3 Paris
 Germany 357,021 83,251,851 233.2 Berlin
 Liechtenstein 160 32,842 205.3 Vaduz
 Luxembourg 2,586 448,569 173.5 Luxembourg
 Monaco 1.95 31,987 16,403.6 Monaco
 Netherlands[27] 41,526 16,318,199 393.0 Amsterdam
  Switzerland 41,290 7,301,994 176.8 Bern
Central Asia:
 Kazakhstan[28] 150,000 600,000 4.0 Astana
Western Asia:[29]
 Azerbaijan[30] 86,6 8,581,487 105.7 Baku
 Georgia[31] 49,240 2,447,176 49.7 Tbilisi
 Turkey[32] 24,378 71,044,932 453.1 Ankara
Total 10,176,246[33] 709,608,850[34] 69.7


Age

Main article: Aging of Europe

Perhaps mirroring its declining population growth, European countries tend to have older populations overall. European countries had nine of the top ten highest median ages in national populations in 2005. Only Japan had an older population.[35]

Sex

There are slightly more men born than women, but men have a slightly shorter life span.

Religion

Predominant religions in Europe
  Roman Catholicism
  Orthodox Christianity
  Protestantism
  Sunni Islam
  Shia Islam
  Judaism
Main article: Religion in Europe

Religion in Europe spans approximately 10,000 years of human settlement on the continent. It has developed from the earliest prehistoric spirituality via the Ancient Greek, Roman and Nordic faiths to the spread of the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Europe has a rich and diverse religious history, and its various faiths have been a major influence on European art, culture, philosophy and law. In modern times, the overwhelming majority of religious Europeans are Christian; the second-largest religion in Europe is Islam, followed by Judaism. Europe also has the largest number and proportion of agnostics and atheists in the Western world.

Nationality

Further information: European ethnic groups

Language

Main article: Languages of Europe

Europe has 30-40 major languages depending on definition. The European Union (EU), which currently excludes Norway and many eastern European countries, recognises 23 official languages as of 2007.[36] According to the same source, the seven most natively spoken languages in the EU are (percentage of total European population[37]):

File:Languages Of Europe.png
Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).
  1. 18% German
  2. 13% French
  3. 12% English
  4. 12% Italian
  5. 9% Spanish
  6. 9% Polish
  7. 5% Dutch

These figures change slightly when foreign language skills are taken into account. The list below shows the top eight European languages ordered by total number of speakers in the EU:[38]

  1. 51% English
  2. 32% German
  3. 26% French
  4. 16% Italian
  5. 15% Spanish
  6. 10% Polish
  7. 7% Russian
  8. 6% Dutch

This makes German the most frequently spoken native language and English the most frequently spoken language overall in the European Union, with German the second-most common language overall.

Foreign language skills

Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Malta, Sweden, Slovenia, Belgium, and Finland are the EU countries with the most foreign language skills. This refers to all foreign languages. English is spoken most frequently in Malta, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The largest countries in Europe have the following percentages of English language skills: 44% Germany, 32% France, 28% Italy, 22% Poland, 18% Spain. The countries with the least foreign language skills are the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain.[39] [40]

Extinct and endangered languages

Many languages have become extinct in Europe and the process is continuing. Languages that are already rated as extinct by the UNESCO Red Book include Old Prussian, Cornish, and two Jewish languages. Nearly extinct and seriously endangered languages include several Sami, Frisian, and regional Jewish languages and Breton.[41]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c UNPP, 2004 Revision World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision Population Database. United Nations Population Division, 2005. Last accessed October 25, 2006.
  2. ^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below may be in one or both of Europe and Asia, Africa, or Oceania.
  3. ^ Data for 2007.
  4. ^ Data for 2007.
  5. ^ Data for 2007.
  6. ^ Includes Transnistria, a region that has declared, and de facto achieved, independence; however, it is not recognised de jure by sovereign states.
    Data for 2007.
  7. ^ Data for 2007.
  8. ^ Data for 2007.
  9. ^ Russia is generally considered a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe (UN region) and Asia, with European territory west of the Ural Mountains and both the Ural and Emba rivers; population and area figures are for European portion only.
  10. ^ Data for 2007.
  11. ^ Data for 2007.
  12. ^ Guernsey is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  13. ^ Isle of Man is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  14. ^ Jersey is a crown dependency affiliated with the United Kingdom.
  15. ^ Data for 2007.
  16. ^ Data for 2007.
  17. ^ Data for 2007.
  18. ^ Data for 2007.
  19. ^ Data for 2007.
  20. ^ Data for 2007.
  21. ^ Montenegro declared independence from the union of Serbia and Montenegro on 3 June, 2006.
    Data for 2007.
  22. ^ Figures for Portugal include the Azores west of Portugal but exclude the Madeira Islands, west of Morocco in Africa.
  23. ^ Figures for Serbia include Kosovo and Metohia, a province administrated by the UN (UNMIK) as per Security Council resolution 1244.
    Data from 2007.
  24. ^ Data for 2007.
  25. ^ Figures for Spain exclude the Canary Islands, west of Morocco in Africa, and the exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are on the northwest of the African continent.
  26. ^ Figures for France include only metropolitan France: some politically integral parts of France are geographically located outside Europe.
  27. ^ Netherlands population for July 2004. Population and area details include European portion only: Netherlands and two entities outside Europe (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, in the Caribbean) constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is the official capital, while The Hague is the administrative seat.
  28. ^ Kazakhstan is sometimes considered a transcontinental country in Central Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe, with European territory west of the Ural Mountains and both the Ural and Emba rivers; area figures are for European portion out of total.
  29. ^ Armenia and Cyprus are sometimes considered transcontinental countries: both are physiographically in Western Asia but have historical and sociopolitical connections with Europe.
  30. ^ Azerbaijan is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for European portion (north of the crest of the Caucasus and the Kura River) out of total. This excludes the exclave of Nakhichevan and Nagorno-Karabakh (a region that has declared, and de facto achieved, independence; however, it is not recognised de jure by sovereign states).
  31. ^ Georgia is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for European portion (north of the crest of the Caucasus and the Kura River) out of total. Also includes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two regions that have declared, and de facto achieved, independence; however, they are not recognised de jure by sovereign states.
  32. ^ Turkey is generally considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Southern Europe: the region of Rumelia (Trakya) – which includes the provinces of Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ, and the western parts of the Çanakkale and Istanbul Provinces – is west and north of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles; population and area figures are for European portion (including all of Istanbul) out of total population.
  33. ^ The total area figure includes only European portions of transcontinental countries.
  34. ^ The total population figure includes only European portions of transcontinental countries.
  35. ^ United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision Highlights. 2005
  36. ^ http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#Official%20eu
  37. ^ see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#languages%20of%20EU%2015 for full list
  38. ^ see http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#Foreign%20language%20skills for full list
  39. ^ http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/barolang_en.pdf
  40. ^ http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html#EU%20and%20new%20memberstates
  41. ^ http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/europe_index.html
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