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https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/2026/04/21/die-haelfte-der-europaeischen-gemeinden-hat-weniger-einwohner-als-vor-60-jahren/ <-- shared technical / spatiotemporal article
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https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/37fcacbf-12e2-4b31-b1af-83117a74b2c7 <-- shared European Joint Research Centre (JRC) ARDECO Local Population Time-Series – 1961-2024
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“A data analysis by CORRECTIV.Europe [and JRC, link above] reveals for the first time that while Europe’s overall population is growing, half of all places have fewer inhabitants than 60 years ago. This has a particularly strong impact on the quality of life in rural areas…
Europe is at a turning point: The EU’s population has grown for decades, reaching around 450 million by 2025. However, experts predict this trend will soon end. They expect the peak to be reached around 2029, after which the population will gradually decline. They anticipate that this development will vary significantly from region to region, and that migration will not offset the long-standing decline in birth rates…
[I]t is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to provide for the remaining population in sparsely populated rural regions: train stations, schools, bank branches and bakeries are closing due to a lack of customers and a shortage of workers; this threatens to lower the quality of life for people in rural areas…
While many Central and Eastern European countries are shrinking overall, others have grown: Luxembourg, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands are even expected to gain population in the future, according to Eurostat forecasts…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #emptyspain #demographics #population #agingpopulation #declining #birthrate #immigration #emigration #shrinking #interactive #webmap #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #Europe #geostatistics #logistics #rural #urban #city #transportation #cost #economics #services #infrastructure #workers #qualityoflife #planning
#JRC #JointResearchCentre #EuropeanCommission #CORRECTIV