Europe’s population crisis: see how your country stacks up – in charts

This CSS code defines a custom font family called “Guardian Headline Full” with multiple font weights and styles. It includes light, regular, medium, and semibold weights, each in both normal and italic styles. The font files are provided in WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType formats, sourced from the Guardian’s asset server.@font-face {
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}This text appears to be a snippet of CSS code, likely from a website’s stylesheet. It defines various styles for elements such as headers, fonts, and layout adjustments for different screen sizes. The code includes media queries for responsive design, font imports, and color variables. Since it’s technical code rather than natural language, rewriting it into fluent English isn’t applicable—it would lose its functional purpose. If you have a specific question about what this code does or need help understanding a part of it, feel free to ask!The Guardian Headline Full font family includes several styles and weights. Each style is available in multiple formats: WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType. The font weights range from regular (400) to black (900), with both normal and italic variations for most weights.The provided text appears to be CSS code defining font styles and a toggle switch design. It includes font-face rules for various weights and styles of the Guardian Headline and Guardian Titlepiece fonts, along with styling for a switch component with rounded corners and interactive states.This CSS code defines the “Guardian Headline Full” font family with multiple styles and weights. Each style includes links to font files in WOFF2, WOFF, and TTF formats, specifying the font weight and style (normal or italic). The weights range from regular (400) to black (900), with corresponding italic versions where applicable.This text defines custom fonts for a website. It specifies the font families “Guardian Titlepiece” and “Guardian Headline Full,” along with their various styles and weights. Each font is provided in multiple file formats (WOFF2, WOFF, and TTF) for compatibility. The styles include normal and italic versions, with weights ranging from light to semibold. The text also includes CSS rules for applying these fonts to specific class names, setting font sizes, and defining text colors.The Guardian Headline Full font family includes several styles and weights, all sourced from the Guardian’s assets. These are:

– Semibold (weight 600, normal style)
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Each style is provided in WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType formats.

Additionally, the Guardian Titlepiece font is available in Bold (weight 700, normal style), also in WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType formats.

Styling for elements like headlines, bylines, and standfirst text uses these fonts along with fallbacks like Georgia and serif. Headlines are bold and adjust in size for smaller screens, while bylines are red and bold. Links have no underline.The Guardian Headline Full font family includes several styles, each with different weights and styles (normal or italic). Here are the available options:

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Each font style is available in WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType formats, hosted at the provided URLs.@font-face {
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}The Guardian Headline Full font family includes several styles and weights. Each style is available in multiple formats: WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType. The regular style has a weight of 400 and is available in both normal and italic. The medium style has a weight of 500, also in normal and italic. The semibold style has a weight of 600, again in normal and italic. The bold style has a weight of 700, in normal and italic. The black style has a weight of 900, in normal and italic. All font files are hosted at the same base URL.@font-face {
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However, projections indicate that the rise of far-right movements could accelerate Europe’s population decline, leading to economic challenges such as slower growth and rising costs for pensions and elderly care.

Those advocating for closed borders must face a stark demographic reality: Europe’s native population is expected to drop sharply over the next century due to low birth rates.

Experts caution that without immigration, European societies will age more rapidly, bringing forward a range of economic issues as workforces shrink and the burden of care increases.

“Most mainstream politicians on the centre-left and centre-right acknowledge that immigration is necessary to ease demographic pressures,” said John Springford, an associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform thinktank. “They have tried to focus on stricter—and often inhumane—asylum rules, hoping that tighter border controls will create political room for increased regular immigration.

“But radical right parties are increasingly challenging this consensus. Countries that resist calls to reduce working-age immigration will likely be in a stronger economic position in the long term.”

Recent projections from Eurostat, the EU’s official statistics agency, suggest that the bloc…Based on current trends, the population is projected to decrease by 6% by 2100, dropping from 447 million to 419 million. However, this decline is minor compared to Eurostat’s scenario without immigration, which predicts a population drop of over a third—to 295 million by 2100—if immigration is excluded from the model.

Eurostat’s standard projections assume countries will maintain their average net migration levels from the past two decades. The Guardian also reviewed figures from the agency that omit this assumption. Similarly, the UK’s Office for National Statistics provides population projections that include a zero net migration scenario.

Countries like Italy, France, and Germany, where anti-immigration politicians have recently gained influence, would experience significant population declines under a zero-immigration scenario.@font-face {
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}This CSS code defines styles for an interactive article layout. It adjusts margins, widths, and positioning for different screen sizes, ensuring immersive elements span the full viewport width. Paragraphs and headings are constrained to a maximum width of 620px for readability. The code also hides certain elements like navigation and borders on specific devices, customizes bylines with red text, and sets color variables for text and backgrounds. Media queries fine-tune the layout for various breakpoints, while immersive sections are centered and expanded horizontally.This text appears to be CSS code defining color variables and font styles, likely for a website or application. It includes:

– A set of color variables for light mode (e.g., background, text, button colors)
– A dark mode section that adjusts these colors when the user prefers a dark theme
– Font definitions for “Guardian Headline Full” in various weights and styles (light, regular, medium, with normal and italic variants)
– Some basic styling for chart axes and grids

The code uses custom properties (CSS variables) for colors, making it easier to maintain and switch between themes. The font files are hosted externally and provided in multiple formats (WOFF2, WOFF, TTF) for browser compatibility.The Guardian Headline Full font family includes several styles, each available in multiple formats (WOFF2, WOFF, and TTF). These styles range from medium (500) to black (900), with both regular and italic variants. Similarly, the Guardian Titlepiece font is available in a bold (700) style, also in multiple formats. All fonts are sourced from the Guardian’s asset server.The provided text appears to be CSS code defining styles and font imports, likely for a web component or chart. It includes class names for elements like year labels and value labels, specifying font families, sizes, and colors. It also imports multiple font weights and styles for “Guardian Headline Full” from specific URLs.The Guardian website uses several custom fonts for its headlines and text. These fonts are stored on their servers and are loaded in different file formats like WOFF2, WOFF, and TTF. Each font has specific styles, such as bold or italic, and different weights like 600, 700, or 900.

For example, the Guardian Headline font comes in regular, bold, and black versions, each with normal and italic styles. There’s also a Guardian Titlepiece font in bold.

The site adjusts its layout for smaller screens. On devices narrower than 700 pixels, some elements become full-width or change their alignment to fit better. Text sizes, colors, and spacing are defined to ensure readability and a consistent look across the site.The provided text appears to be CSS code defining styles for a web component, including a button with a red background and custom font imports. It is not written in natural English and does not require rewriting for fluency. If you have a specific English passage you would like revised, please share it.Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has prioritized a crackdown on migration during her first term. However, Italy has one of Europe’s lowest fertility rates, and without any immigration, its population would more than halve by the end of the century.

In Germany, where the anti-immigration AfD party came second in this year’s federal election, the population could drop from 83 million to 53 million over the next 80 years if borders were completely closed.

In France, where the National Rally won the first round of legislative elections last summer after campaigning for immigration restrictions, a zero-immigration scenario would see the population fall from 68 million to 59 million.

Only a few EU countries would see little change from closed borders: Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania, all of which have experienced a net outflow of people.

Elsewhere in Europe, populations would not only shrink without current immigration levels but also age significantly as the number of working-age people declines.People are becoming older relative to the younger population. View image in fullscreen.

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has tightened immigration controls, even though Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images.

Currently, 21% of the EU population is aged 65 or older. According to Eurostat’s baseline forecast, this figure will rise to 32% by 2100. However, if there were no immigration, the proportion would increase even further, to 36%.

Experts studying Europe’s shifting age demographics warn that this trend will place growing economic strain on countries.

“The main effects will be slower economic growth due to a shrinking workforce, and higher taxes, as spending on pensions, healthcare, and elderly care increases,” said Springford.

Much of the EU is already experiencing this. In recent decades, tax burdens—measured as tax revenue relative to GDP—have risen in countries like France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

The health and social care sectors will play an increasingly vital role in supporting an ageing Europe. Many EU healthcare systems already rely on immigrant doctors and nurses.@font-face {
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}The main content column for interactive articles has a width of 860px. Immersive elements within it can extend up to 1100px wide. On small screens (under 740px), immersive elements span the full viewport width and are centered. On medium screens (740px–1140px), they extend 60px beyond the column. On large screens (over 1300px), they can reach 1260px.

Atoms (small components) have 12px top and bottom padding. Paragraphs use dark gray text and are limited to 620px width. Immersive elements generally span the full viewport and are centered, with adjustments for medium and large screens to account for sidebars or margins.

Some elements like headlines, introductions, and media are hidden from view but remain accessible to screen readers. Bylines appear in red, with specific styling for different devices. On iOS and Android, headlines are larger and bolder, while introductions are hidden.

On wider screens, the main column gets left margins (160px or 240px) and a light gray left border for visual separation.This text appears to be CSS code for styling a website, likely for The Guardian. It defines colors, fonts, and layout rules for different elements and devices. The code includes:

– Color variables for light and dark modes
– Font definitions for headlines and text
– Styling for charts and grids
– Responsive design rules for iOS and Android

Since this is technical code rather than natural language text, I cannot rewrite it in fluent English while preserving its meaning. CSS code follows specific syntax rules that can’t be converted to plain English without losing functionality.The font “Guardian Headline Full” is defined with multiple styles and weights, each sourced from three file formats (WOFF2, WOFF, and TrueType) for compatibility. The styles include medium (normal and italic), semibold (normal and italic), bold (normal and italic), and black (normal and italic), with corresponding font weights of 500, 600, 700, and 900 respectively. Additionally, the font “Guardian Titlepiece” is introduced, with its source file specified.This CSS code defines font styles and sources for a web page. It includes:

– A bold title font (GT Guardian Titlepiece) with multiple file formats (woff2, woff, ttf).
– Styling for source text, country labels, titles, subtitles, and headers, specifying font families, sizes, colors, and spacing.
– Multiple font-face definitions for Guardian Headline Full in various weights (light, regular, medium) and styles (normal, italic), each with woff2, woff, and ttf file sources.

The code ensures text elements use specific fonts from the Guardian’s asset servers, with fallbacks to system fonts if needed.The text defines several font styles for the “Guardian Headline Full” and “Guardian Titlepiece” families, specifying their sources, weights, and styles. It also includes a CSS class for styling an element with background color, text color, borders, margins, and padding.

A quote from Alan Manning, a professor of economics, is included: “More people are going to require care, though that does depend on how healthy people are in old age, and how much care they need.”An expert from the London School of Economics points out that with fewer children and lower fertility rates, there is less need for people in education and childcare. In a way, this means we should shift some of those who care for children to instead care for the elderly.

At the same time, experts emphasize that immigration is not a complete solution to Europe’s demographic challenges. Instead, it is one of several approaches that can help ease the transition to an older society.

Springford notes that simply increasing immigration won’t solve these problems on its own—the numbers required would be very high, and there are limits to how many people are willing to migrate. However, immigration would help, along with other measures like raising employment rates among working-age people, delaying retirement, reforming pensions, and shifting the tax burden from income to wealth, especially property.@font-face {
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}This appears to be a block of CSS code for styling a web page, likely for an interactive article layout. It includes rules for positioning, margins, media queries for different screen sizes, and styling for elements like headlines, bylines, and immersive content blocks. The code adjusts layout and spacing responsively across devices.This text appears to be CSS code defining color variables and font styles for a website, likely for The Guardian. It includes color schemes for both light and dark modes, as well as font definitions for the “Guardian Headline Full” typeface in various weights and styles.The Guardian website uses custom fonts called “Guardian Headline Full” and “Guardian Titlepiece” in various weights and styles. These fonts are loaded from the site’s own servers in multiple file formats to ensure broad browser compatibility..white { fill: #fff; }

.c-label {
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Within national borders, rural areas will be hit hardest by the EU’s impending population decline. Over the next 80 years, more villages may face the consequences.The village of Camini in southern Italy has faced the same fate as many others in the Calabria region, where populations declined sharply in the late 20th century as younger residents left in search of better opportunities. Recently, Camini has become the focus of a project to resettle refugees, aiming to revive the community and prevent its extinction.

This initiative was highlighted in a recent Council of Europe report by Labour MP Kate Osamor, which explored how immigration could help address the challenges of an aging population. Rosario Zurzolo, a native of Camini and now president of the cooperative Eurocoop Servizi, which runs the resettlement project, recalled watching the village slowly fade away: “The houses were just falling down because no one was living in them.”

So far, 50 refugees have settled permanently in Camini under the program, bringing the village population to 350. An additional 118 refugees are being hosted temporarily. A symbolic milestone for the project was the recent reopening of the local school.

Zurzolo believes Camini can serve as a model for revitalizing other European regions experiencing population decline. Serena Franco, who is also involved in the project and provided evidence for the Council of Europe report, added: “They’re bringing knowledge, and now we are starting to grow with them, creating new things, new processes, and even new jobs that would be impossible without them.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful FAQs about Europes population crisis framed in a natural conversational tone

BeginnerLevel Questions

1 What exactly is the population crisis in Europe
Its primarily a combination of two trends a very low birth rate and an increasingly older population This creates a shrinking workforce that must support a growing number of retirees

2 Why is a declining population considered a crisis
A smaller workingage population means fewer people to pay taxes fund social services like healthcare and pensions and drive economic growth all while the number of people needing those services increases

3 Which European countries are shrinking the fastest
Countries in Southern and Eastern Europe like Italy Greece Spain Poland and Bulgaria are experiencing some of the most rapid population declines due to very low birth rates and young people moving away for work

4 Are any countries in Europe growing
Yes a few Countries like Norway Switzerland and Ireland have modest natural growth or stable populations Some Western European nations such as Germany and Sweden have maintained their population size mainly through immigration

5 How do charts help us understand this issue
Charts can visually show powerful comparisons like the stark difference between a countrys age pyramid 50 years ago and today making the problem instantly clear

Advanced Practical Questions

6 What is the dependency ratio I see in these charts
Its a key metric that shows the number of people not typically in the workforce compared to the number of people of working age A rising ratio means more economic pressure on workers

7 Besides low birth rates what other factors are causing this
Emigration is a major factor in some regions where young educated people leave for better opportunities in other EU countries a phenomenon often called brain drain

8 How is immigration factored into these population charts
Immigration is a crucial counterbalance Charts often show two projections one based solely on current birth and death rates and one that includes net migration which usually results in a more stable population

9 What are governments doing to try and fix this
Policies include financial incentives for families

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