Ireland has largest proportion of children in eu eurostat

In 2014, Ireland (22.0%) recorded by far the largest proportion of children (under-15s) in the EU, followed by France (18.6%), the United Kingdom (17.6%) and Denmark (17.2%).

In contrast, the lowest shares of young people were recorded were in Germany (13.1%), Bulgaria (13.7%) and Italy (13.9%).

These figures come from a comprehensive new publication from Eurostat on ‘What it means to be young in the European Union today’.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-statistical-books/-/KS-05-14-031

The report gives a detailed snapshot of how young Europeans live – everything from internet use to childcare to volunteering.

Ireland stands out as the most youthful country in the EU, with four out of 10 people (40.1%) aged less than 30.

At the other end of the scale, the share of under-30s was lowest in Italy and Germany.

Ireland’s fertility rate at 2.01 live births per woman (2012) was the highest in the EU (along with France) but it is still below replacement level of 2.1%.

At EU level overall, the number of children as a proportion of the population has fallen over the last 20 years. While children accounted for 15.6% of the total EU population in 2014, this is down from 18.6% in 1994.

While women in central and eastern EU member states were more likely to give birth at a relatively young age, they were also more likely to have fewer children, as their total fertility rates were below the EU-28 average.