Statistics in the European Union are collected by Eurostat (European statistics body).
As of 1 January 2006, the population of the EU was about 493 million people, although in 2020 the EU lost over 10% of its population as a result of the UK leaving the bloc. [1] Many countries are expected to experience a decline in population over the coming decades, [2] though this could be offset with new countries planning to join the EU within the next 20 years. The most populous member state is Germany, with an estimated 80.4 million people. France and Ireland have the highest birth-rates. [3] The most densely populated country is the island of Malta, which is also the smallest, while the largest in area is France. The least densely populated country is Finland.
The table below uses data from Eurostat. [4] [5]
Member State | Population | % pop. | Area km2 | % area | Density /km2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Union | 448,387,872 | 100% | 4,225,134 | 100% | 106 |
Austria | 9,104,772 | 2.0% | 83,878 | 2.0% | 109 |
Belgium | 11,754,004 | 2.6% | 30,667 | 0.7% | 383 |
Bulgaria | 6,447,710 | 1.4% | 110,996 | 2.6% | 58 |
Croatia | 3,850,894 | 0.9% | 56,594 | 1.3% | 68 |
Cyprus | 920,701 | 0.2% | 9,253 | 0.2% | 100 |
Czech Republic | 10,827,529 | 2.4% | 78,871 | 1.9% | 137 |
Denmark | 5,932,654 | 1.3% | 42,925 | 1.0% | 138 |
Estonia | 1,365,884 | 0.3% | 45,336 | 1.1% | 30 |
Finland | 5,563,970 | 1.2% | 338,411 | 8.0% | 16 |
France | 68,070,697 | 15.2% | 638,475 | 15.1% | 107 |
Germany | 84,358,845 | 18.8% | 357,569 | 8.5% | 236 |
Greece | 10,394,055 | 2.3% | 131,694 | 3.1% | 79 |
Hungary | 9,597,085 | 2.1% | 93,012 | 2.2% | 103 |
Ireland | 5,194,336 | 1.2% | 69,947 | 1.7% | 74 |
Italy | 58,850,717 | 13.1% | 302,079 | 7.1% | 195 |
Latvia | 1,883,008 | 0.4% | 64,586 | 1.5% | 29 |
Lithuania | 2,857,279 | 0.6% | 65,284 | 1.5% | 44 |
Luxembourg | 672,050 | 0.1% | 2,586 | 0.1% | 260 |
Malta | 542,051 | 0.1% | 316 | 0.01% | 1715 |
Netherlands | 17,811,291 | 4.0% | 37,378 | 0.9% | 477 |
Poland | 36,753,736 | 8.2% | 311,928 | 7.4% | 118 |
Portugal | 10,467,366 | 2.3% | 92,227 | 2.2% | 113 |
Romania | 19,051,562 | 4.2% | 238,398 | 5.6% | 80 |
Slovakia | 5,428,792 | 1.2% | 49,035 | 1.2% | 111 |
Slovenia | 2,116,792 | 0.5% | 20,273 | 0.5% | 104 |
Spain | 48,059,777 | 10.7% | 505,983 | 12.0% | 95 |
Sweden | 10,521,556 | 2.3% | 447,424 | 10.6% | 24 |
For statistics relating to economy, please see Economy of the European Union .
The primary resource for funding the European Union is the contributions sought from member states. Each member state contributes to the EU budget, and receives funding back from the EU, depending on the relative wealth of the states, i.e. their ability to pay.
The table below shows the contributions as a percentage of the total budget. This takes into account the special considerations given to the United Kingdom to reduce its contribution through a rebate. Expenditure in Luxembourg, Belgium and France include items for the EU administrative centres in each of those countries.
Figures below are in Euros, where applicable. Data are for the year 2006.[ citation needed ]
Member State | Total contribution | % total | Total expenditure | % total | Net contrib. | Net contrib. per capita | Total contrib. per capita |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Union | 105,259,468,772 | 100.00% | 106,575,500,000 | 100.00% | -1,316,031,228 | -3 | 213 |
Germany | 22,218,438,941 | 21.11% | 12,242,400,000 | 11.49% | 9,976,038,941 | 124 | 276 |
France | 17,303,107,859 | 16.44% | 13,496,200,000 | 12.66% | 3,806,907,859 | 59 | 266 |
Italy | 14,359,479,157 | 13.64% | 10,922,300,000 | 10.25% | 3,437,179,157 | 58 | 244 |
United Kingdom | 13,739,900,046 | 13.05% | 8,294,200,000 | 7.78% | 5,445,700,046 | 90 | 226 |
Spain | 8,957,286,488 | 8.51% | 12,883,000,000 | 12.09% | -3,925,713,512 | -88 | 200 |
Netherlands | 5,552,933,781 | 5.28% | 2,190,400,000 | 2.06% | 3,362,533,781 | 198 | 327 |
Belgium | 4,035,286,807 | 3.83% | 5,625,100,000 | 5.28% | -1,589,813,193 | -151 | 384 |
Sweden | 2,832,862,800 | 2.69% | 1,573,400,000 | 1.48% | 1,259,462,800 | 126 | 283 |
Austria | 2,308,432,030 | 2.19% | 1,830,100,000 | 1.72% | 478,332,030 | 58 | 278 |
Denmark | 2,130,860,212 | 2.02% | 1,501,900,000 | 1.41% | 628,960,212 | 116 | 395 |
Poland | 2,099,087,114 | 1.99% | 5,305,600,000 | 4.98% | -3,206,512,886 | -84 | 55 |
Greece | 1,882,611,879 | 1.79% | 6,833,700,000 | 6.41% | -4,951,088,121 | -446 | 170 |
Finland | 1,544,832,284 | 1.47% | 1,280,400,000 | 1.20% | 264,432,284 | 50 | 291 |
Portugal | 1,443,049,602 | 1.37% | 3,634,800,000 | 3.41% | -2,191,750,398 | -207 | 136 |
Ireland | 1,341,281,313 | 1.27% | 2,461,800,000 | 2.31% | -1,120,518,687 | -244 | 292 |
Hungary | 1,003,119,411 | 0.95% | 1,842,200,000 | 1.73% | -839,080,589 | -83 | 99 |
Czech Republic | 932,392,859 | 0.89% | 1,330,000,000 | 1.25% | -397,607,141 | -39 | 91 |
Slovakia | 393,148,777 | 0.37% | 696,200,000 | 0.65% | -303,051,223 | -56 | 73 |
Slovenia | 299,993,572 | 0.29% | 406,000,000 | 0.38% | -106,006,428 | -53 | 150 |
Luxembourg | 241,439,011 | 0.23% | 1,194,800,000 | 1.12% | -953,360,989 | -1,907 | 483 |
Lithuania | 221,997,405 | 0.21% | 799,800,000 | 0.75% | -577,802,595 | -170 | 65 |
Cyprus | 144,556,416 | 0.14% | 239,600,000 | 0.22% | -95,043,584 | -119 | 181 |
Latvia | 115,205,431 | 0.11% | 402,600,000 | 0.24% | -287,394,569 | -125 | 50 |
Estonia | 100,756,308 | 0.10% | 300,000,000 | 0.28% | -199,243,692 | -142 | 72 |
Malta | 57,409,269 | 0.05% | 157,000,000 | 0.14% | -99,590,731 | -249 | 144 |
Bulgaria | 360,600,000 | 0.34% | -360,600,000 | -47 | |||
Romania | 693,100,000 | 0.65% | -693,100,000 | -32 | |||
There are many indices available on issues such as corruption, development, and freedom. The rankings below include all EU member states, EU candidates (with the exception of Turkey, cause their accession negotiations have stalled since 2016) and EFTA countries.
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Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders) conducts an annual survey on the freedom of the press and produces scores (not shown here) for each country, resulting in the Press Freedom Index. In 2019 and 2020, Finland was proclaimed as having the freest press in the European Union, and the second in the world behind Norway. Bulgaria was ranked as having the least free press in the European Union in 2019 and 2020. [6]
Colour Codes |
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Good Situation |
Satisfactory Situation |
Noticeable problems |
Difficult situation |
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The Index of Economic Freedom , published by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, uses 50 different variables to compile the survey, in areas such as trade policy and government intervention. [7]
A similar index produced by the World Economic Forum is its Global Competitiveness Index.
Colour Codes |
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Free |
Mostly Free |
Moderately Free |
Moderately Unfree |
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Transparency International is an international NGO publishing an annual Global Corruption Report indicating the perception of corruption around the world. The rankings of the table refer to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 . A high ranking means low corruption.
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Colour Codes |
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Very High Human Development |
High Human Development |
The Human Development Index is a measure produced by the United Nations which covers three aspects of human development:
The rankings of the table refer to the UNDP Human Development Report 2019 (2018 data). The UN lists all EU member states as countries with very high human development.
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The Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company which publishes the weekly newspaper The Economist.
The economy of the Czech Republic is a developed export-oriented social market economy based in services, manufacturing, and innovation that maintains a high-income welfare state and the European social model. The Czech Republic participates in the European Single Market as a member of the European Union, and is therefore a part of the economy of the European Union. It uses its own currency, the Czech koruna, instead of the euro. It is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Czech Republic ranks 16th in inequality-adjusted human development and 24th in World Bank Human Capital Index, ahead of countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom or France. It was described by The Guardian as "one of Europe's most flourishing economies".
The economy of Greece is the 54th largest in the world, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $250.276 billion per annum. In terms of purchasing power parity, Greece is the world's 55th largest economy, at $430.125 billion per annum. As of 2023, Greece is the sixteenth largest economy in the European Union and eleventh largest in the eurozone. According to the International Monetary Fund's figures for 2024, Greece's GDP per capita is $23,966 at nominal value and $41,188 at purchasing power parity.
The economy of Latvia is an open economy in Europe and is part of the European Single Market. Latvia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1999, a member of the European Union since 2004, a member of the Eurozone since 2014 and a member of the OECD since 2016. Latvia is ranked the 14th in the world by the Ease of Doing Business Index prepared by the World Bank Group. According to the Human Development Report 2011, Latvia belongs to the group of very high human development countries. Due to its geographical location, transit services are highly developed, along with timber and wood processing, agriculture and food products, and manufacturing of machinery and electronic devices.
The economy of Poland is an industrialised, mixed economy with a developed market that serves as the sixth-largest in the European Union by nominal GDP and fifth-largest by GDP (PPP). Poland boasts the extensive public services characteristic of most developed economies. Since 1988, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalisation but retained an advanced public welfare system. This includes universal free public healthcare and education, extensive provisions of free public childcare, and parental leave. The country is considered by many to be a successful post-communist state. It is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank, ranking 20th worldwide in terms of GDP (PPP), 21st in terms of GDP (nominal), and 21st in the 2023 Economic Complexity Index.
The economy of Slovenia is a developed economy, and the country enjoys a high level of prosperity and stability as well as above-average GDP per capita by purchasing power parity at 92% of the EU average in 2022. The nominal GDP in 2023 is 68.108 billion USD, nominal GDP per capita (GDP/pc) in 2023 is USD 32,350. The highest GDP/pc is in central Slovenia, where the capital city Ljubljana is located. It is part of the Western Slovenia statistical region, which has a higher GDP/pc than eastern Slovenia.
The Visegrád Group is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-operation in military, economic, cultural and energy affairs, and to further their integration with the EU. All four states are also members of the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Bucharest Nine (B9).
Eurostat is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statistical information to the institutions of the European Union (EU) and to promote the harmonisation of statistical methods across its member states and candidates for accession as well as EFTA countries. The organisations in the different countries that cooperate with Eurostat are summarised under the concept of the European Statistical System.
The economy of the European Union is the joint economy of the member states of the European Union (EU). It is the second largest economy in the world in nominal terms, after the United States, and the third largest at purchasing power parity (PPP), after China and the US. The European Union's GDP is estimated to be $19.35 trillion (nominal) in 2024 or $26.64 trillion (PPP), representing around one-sixth of the global economy. Germany has the biggest national GDP of all EU countries, followed by France and Italy.
The following are links to some international rankings of the United States.
The following are international rankings of Panama
The following are international rankings of Argentina:
The following are international rankings of Egypt.
This is a list of key international rankings of Costa Rica
The following are international rankings of Italy.
The following is a list of international rankings of Greece.
The following are international rankings of Cuba.
The demographics of the European Union show a highly populated, culturally diverse union of 27 member states. As of 1 January 2023, the population of the EU is around 448 million people.
Canada ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, education levels, gender equality, public services, public security and environmental sustainability. It ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for housing affordability, healthcare services and foreign direct investment.
The following are links to international rankings of Denmark.