Migration offset natural decline for the fourth consecutive year, pushing the European Union’s population to an historic high of 450.4 million in 2024, according to Eurostat figures released on Friday.

For the first time since the pandemic, the EU’s population rose by more than 1 million people last year, despite recording more deaths than births for the twelfth year in a row.

The bloc registered 2.3 million more migrants than emigrants, which outweighed a natural population loss of 1.3 million — 4.82 million deaths versus 3.56 million births.

Eurostat said the rise was mainly due to increased migratory movements following the COVID-19 pandemic. The trend underscores Europe's growing demographic challenge, as an ageing population and declining fertility threaten long-term economic and social stability.

Germany, France and Italy remained the bloc’s most populous nations, together making up 47% of the total EU population. While 19 countries saw population increases in 2024, including Malta (+19.0 per 1,000), Ireland (+16.3), and Luxembourg (+14.7), others such as Latvia (-9.9), Hungary (-4.7), and Poland (-3.4) recorded declines.

Since 1960, the EU has grown by nearly 100 million people, but growth has slowed — from 3 million annually in the 1960s to fewer than 1 million per year in recent decades.

Meanwhile, governments across the bloc have been tightening border controls due to public unease over migration. Temporary checks have returned in countries such as Germany, Belgium, and Poland, straining the passport-free Schengen zone. This comes even as irregular border crossings fell by 38% in 2024, reaching their lowest level since 2021.

To address the pressures, the EU adopted a new migration pact last year aimed at reducing irregular arrivals and accelerating asylum processing.

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