5.4 Declining population in Europe

• Aardrijkskunde
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

5.4 Declining population in Europe

Learning objectives

After studying this section, you will be able to:

• Describe and explain the population diagram of the Netherlands
  
• Explain the low population growth in European countries

The Dutch population

The average age of the Dutch population is expected to keep on rising in upcoming years. This process is called ageing.

After the Second World War many people chose to have a baby, resulting in a baby boom and so a high birth rate in these years.

Low birth rate

After that period, the birth rate declined from 20‰ to 10‰ because of:

1. Contraception became available for people and made it possible to plan the size of the family, so many people chose to have fewer kids
2. Children aren’t needed any more to support older family members; MEDCs have a health care system taking care of elderly people;
3. Rising children is expensive in MEDCs; having a big family is expensive;
4. People attach less value to traditional ways; many delay starting a family until later in their lives or put a career ahead of having a family.

A low birth rate

The birth rate is still declining in European countries. In some countries, like Germany and Italy, the birth rate has even gone under the death rate > these countries now have a natural decrease. The Netherlands isn’t at this point yet, but is expected to reach it by 2033.

 Only 100 years ago, life expectancy in the Netherlands was 53 years old. Life expectancy is the time you are expected to live, on average. Nowadays, life expectancy is 81 years old. This number has mainly risen because of improvements in medical care. 

‘Problem’ or ‘challenge’?

In some situations, people prefer the word ‘challenge’ above the word ‘problem’. If something is seen as problematic, you might look at it from a negative perspective. If you change this to a ‘challenging’ situation, you see the possible problem as something you’re willing to solve: a little change in emphasis, leading to a positive attitude.

Migration

Although the Dutch population is moving towards a natural decrease, the population won’t start to decline right now. This is because of migration: in 2016, the Netherlands received around 84,000 more immigrants than there were emigrants leaving, thus causing the population to grow.

 Population growth in the Netherlands, divided up into natural increase and net migration.

Understanding very low death rates in LEDCs

The rising average age of populations in Europe also effects the death rate. You might expect MEDCs have a lower death rate than LEDCs because of better medical care, but the ageing process now shows up in the numbers. For example, the Dutch death rate is 9‰, while the Indian death rate is only 7‰. The Indian population is much younger than the Dutch population, meaning the chances of dying are smaller for these younger people than for the older people in the Netherlands. Eventually, when life expectancy rises in India, their death rate will also rise to the Dutch level.

Essence

The Netherlands has an ageing population, like other countries in Europe. This means the average age of the population is getting higher. The reasons are a lower birth rate and higher life expectancy. Most European countries still have a low population growth. This is mainly because of net migration. Nevertheless, European countries are probably heading towards a declining population in the near future.

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