HL Deb 21 June 2002 vol 636 cc107-9WA
Lord McColl of Dulwich

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimate they have of the current number of people over 60 years of age in each country in the European Union; and how it compares with estimates for 1970; 1980; 1990; and 2000. [HL4747]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 21 June 2002.

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the current birth rate in each country of the European Union and how this compares with 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000. [HL4744]

The latest available information is for the year 2000. The data for the years requested are given in the attached table. Two rates have been provided. The crude birth rate is simply the number of births per 1,000 of the total population. The total fertility rate is also given. This measure controls for the size and age distribution of the female population of fertile age and gives the average number of children per women if the current patterns of fertility persist throughout her childbearing life.

The information is taken from the Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities) publication, European Social Statistics Demography 2001 edition Theme 3 population and social conditions.

Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated 21 June 2002.

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of people over 60 years of age in each country in the European Union. [HL4747]

The attached table, provided by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, shows the number of persons over the age of 60 from 1970–2001 for each country in the European Union.

Table 1: Persons aged over 60, European Union countries, 1970–2001
Year1
Country 1970 1980 1990 2000
Austria 1,400.9 1,370.6 1,468.7 1,540.2
Belgium 1,719.2 1,688.9 1,918.1 2,133.1
Denmark 802.2 939.1 998.5 995.5
Federal Republic of Germany 14,411.0 14,319.9 15,179.3 17,646.0
Finland 593.6 736.5 861.7 969.8
France 8,563.7 8,777.4 10,173.0 11,572.7
Greece n/a n/a 1,863.3 2,322.2
Ireland n/a n/a 506.3 539.1
Italy 7,954.5 9,053.1 10,927.2 13,049.6
Luxembourg n/a 61.2 67.2 78.7
Netherlands 1,757.8 2,077.8 2,436.5 2,720.6
Portugal 1,117.0 1,414.9 1,732.0 2,119.8
Spain n/a 5,260.6 6,847.6 8.239.5
Sweden 1,456.0 1,713.1 1,863.7 1,869.8
United Kingdom 9,732.1 10,521.6 11,332.8 11,579.0
1 The estimated populations are as of the 1st January each year

Source: Eurostat