EU countries by share of population aged 65 and over

Italy had the highest share of population aged 65 and over of 26 EU countries in 2021, at 23.5%. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 14.6%. The median was 20.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest23.5Italy
Lowest14.6Luxembourg
Median20.226 EU countries

All EU countries, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

ItalyItaly: 23.5 %23.5PortugalPortugal: 23.2 %23.2BulgariaBulgaria: 23 %23FinlandFinland: 22.7 %22.7GreeceGreece: 22.5 %22.5CroatiaCroatia: 22.2 %22.2GermanyGermany: 22 %22LatviaLatvia: 20.8 %20.8SloveniaSlovenia: 20.7 %20.7FranceFrance: 20.6 %20.6CzechiaCzechia: 20.5 %20.5EstoniaEstonia: 20.3 %20.3HungaryHungary: 20.2 %20.2DenmarkDenmark: 20.1 %20.1SwedenSweden: 20.1 %20.1LithuaniaLithuania: 19.9 %19.9SpainSpain: 19.6 %19.6BelgiumBelgium: 19.3 %19.3RomaniaRomania: 19.3 %19.3AustriaAustria: 19.2 %19.2PolandPoland: 18.9 %18.9MaltaMalta: 18.5 %18.5SlovakiaSlovakia: 17.1 %17.1CyprusCyprus: 16.9 %16.9IrelandIreland: 14.7 %14.7LuxembourgLuxembourg: 14.6 %14.6
%. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Italy23.5+0.3 pts
2Portugal23.2+0.5 pts
3Bulgaria23+0.1 pts
4Finland22.7+0.4 pts
5Greece22.5+0.3 pts
6Croatia22.2+0.6 pts
7Germany22+0.2 pts
8Latvia20.8+0.3 pts
9Slovenia20.7+0.5 pts
10France20.6+0.2 pts
11Czechia Series break20.5+0.6 pts
12Estonia20.3+0.3 pts
13Hungary20.2+0.4 pts
14Denmark20.1+0.2 pts
14Sweden20.1+0.1 pts
16Lithuania19.9+0.3 pts
17Spain19.6+0.1 pts
18Belgium19.3+0.2 pts
18Romania Estimated19.3+0.4 pts
20Austria19.2+0.2 pts
21Poland Series break18.9+0.7 pts
22Malta18.5+0.4 pts
23Slovakia17.1+0.5 pts
24Cyprus16.9+0.3 pts
25Ireland14.7+0.3 pts
26Luxembourg14.6+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Residents aged 65 or over as a percentage of total population. Spain: 1 January, INE annual census. United States: 1 July, Census Bureau population estimates. World Bank figures for other countries and the World refer to mid-year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. 1 EU countries with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population structure indicators by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanind3). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_r_pjanind3/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

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Rank EU countries by share of population aged 65 and over using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest share of population aged 65 and over?

Italy, with 23.5% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest share of population aged 65 and over?

Luxembourg, with 14.6% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population structure indicators by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanind3). Retrieved 2026-10-07. 1 EU countries have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Population aged 65 and over: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings