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By 2015, deaths will surpass births in the EU, study reveals

Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical service, has released a report indicating that by the year 2015, deaths in the region will outnumber births, and that by the year 2060, for every person above the age of 65 there will only be two people of working age, reports Catholic News Agency.

According to the BBC, this severe demographic winter, the result of the drop in the birth rate and the increase in abortions in many countries of the European Union, will lead to a continual decrease in Europe’s population starting in the year 2035.

Eurostat also said that the current population of Europe is 495 million. In 2035 it will reach its apex of 521 million, from which it will fall until 2060, when the population will be 506 million.

The report also said that the index of retirees versus working-age people will increase from 25 percent currently to 53 percent by the year 2060. That is, for every retiree above the age of 65, there will be only two people working.

This index could reach as high as 60 percent in some states of the EU, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

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[08/30/2008]

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