This diagram, known as a population pyramid, shows the distribution of the 503 million men and women in the European Union by different age groups. The shape of this diagram is often described as a ‘constrictive pyramid’, which is typical of developed societies with low fertility and mortality rates and with relatively older populations. The population aged 15–65 years is 335 million, whereas nearly one fifth of the total population is over 65 years old. There are only 78 million children aged 0–15. The male:female ratio in the EU is 0.95.

It is interesting to compare the population pyramid for the whole of the EU with similar diagrams for separate countries in Europe. Most member state pyramids look similar to that of the EU. However, the pyramids for Albania and to a lesser extent Turkey have a more ‘pyramid-like’ shape, suggesting either relatively higher outmigration rates in the recent past and/or a lower life expectancy. Fertility in these countries is not much higher than the EU average. On the other hand, Germany, the Netherlands and Andorra seem to have higher than average elderly populations.

Also of interest is the fact that Andorra has the highest male:female ratio, while Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have the lowest ratios.

It is possible to explore the geographical dimension of the data presented in the population pyramids above, by examining them at the regional level. This map is a cartogram highlighting areas with the greatest geographical concentrations of populations of traditional working age (15–65 years) across European regions.

The lowest percentage of working age population (as a proportion of the total population in the region) is 55%, and it is observed in the region of Mardin, one of the oldest settled areas in the world, in southeast Turkey. The highest percentage is 74%, in Inner London. There are also very high rates in Poland, the Slovak Republic and Croatia. Here there are fewer elderly people and fewer children. Within Turkey, rates are high where people have migrated westwards.