Ireland is predicted to experience one of the sharpest declines in its youth population in the European Union over the next 50 years, according to a newly-published report.
The EU Youth Report 2024 said the share of children and young people aged up to 19 in the EU is projected to shrink from 20% in 2023 to 18% in 2073.
However, in Ireland, it is predicted to fall by 29% from 26.1% of the population in 2023 to 18.3% in 2073. The report states:
The highest decreases in the share of children and young people are projected to happen in some countries in the north of Europe, in Ireland and in Lithuania.
“The proportion of young people is expected to decline the least in the central areas of the EU, as well as in Bulgaria, Greece and Portugal.”
The authors said the EU has seen a decline in the proportion of young people in its population for the past decade and that trend is expected to continue.
“This demographic shift is closely linked with intergenerational fairness, as a shrinking youth population raises concerns about the sustainability of social systems,” it said.
“Fewer young people supporting a growing elderly population could lead to increased strain on public services, social security systems, and economic productivity.”
The report by the EU Commission said more than 7m young people of non-EU origin live in the EU.
Ireland, along with Spain, Cyprus, and Portugal, and countries in the northern and central regions of the continent, reported the highest percentages of young people of non-EU origin.
The report reveals Irish youth are also among the most highly educated and economically active in the EU, outperforming many of their peers across key employment and academic indicators.
In 2023, over half of 25- to 29-year-olds in Ireland had completed third-level or tertiary education, placing the country in the EU’s top tier alongside the Netherlands, France, and Spain — higher than the EU average.
Ireland also boasts one of the lowest school dropout rates in Europe, with just under 5% of young people leaving education early, far outperforming the EU target of reducing early school leaving to under 9% by 2030.
Despite the high performance in education, Ireland has one of the highest rates of students not studying a foreign language, with nearly a quarter of upper secondary learners taking no language courses.
That compares with an EU average of just 2%.