Europaudvalget 2018
KOM (2018) 0269
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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Brussels, 22.5.2018
SWD(2018) 169 final
PART 1/7
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
Situation of young people in the European Union
Accompanying the document
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE
REGIONS
Engaging, Connecting and Empowering young people: a new EU Youth Strategy
{COM(2018) 269 final} - {SWD(2018) 168 final}
EN
EN
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1/7
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3
1. Demography ........................................................................................................................................ 8
1.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2. European youth population: past and future trends .......................................................................... 9
1.3 The impact of international and intra-EU migration ....................................................................... 12
Part 2/7
2. Education and Training ..................................................................................................................... 16
2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 17
2.2. Formal education ............................................................................................................................ 17
2.3. Non-formal learning and youth work ............................................................................................. 26
2.4. Learning mobility ........................................................................................................................... 28
Part 3/7
3. Employment and Entrepreneurship ................................................................................................... 31
3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 32
3.2. Entering the world of work ............................................................................................................. 32
3.3. Facing the labour market challenges: unemployment .................................................................... 35
3.4. Patterns of youth employment ........................................................................................................ 44
Part 4/7
4. Health and Well-being ....................................................................................................................... 55
4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 56
4.2. Health risks ..................................................................................................................................... 56
4.3. Mental well-being ........................................................................................................................... 69
Part 5/7
5. Participation ....................................................................................................................................... 75
5.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 76
5.2. Young people's interest in politics and their perception of EU citizenship .................................... 76
5.3. Young people's participation in representative democracy: voting and joining a political party ... 80
5.4. Other ways young people participate ............................................................................................. 83
6. Voluntary Activities .......................................................................................................................... 88
6.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 89
6.2. Youth participation in voluntary activities ..................................................................................... 89
6.3. Recognition of voluntary activities ................................................................................................. 94
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7. Social Inclusion ................................................................................................................................. 96
7.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 97
7.2. Moving towards independence: young people leaving the parental home ..................................... 97
7.3. Levels of poverty and social exclusion ........................................................................................... 99
7.4. Living conditions .......................................................................................................................... 108
7.5. Groups at risk of social exclusion ................................................................................................. 113
Part 7/7
8. Youth and the World ....................................................................................................................... 120
8.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 121
8.2. Young people's engagement with global issues............................................................................ 121
8.3. Cooperation between young people from different continents ..................................................... 125
9. Culture, Creativity and ICT ............................................................................................................. 128
9.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 129
9.2. Cultural participation .................................................................................................................... 129
9.3. Young people and their use of ICT............................................................................................... 135
References ........................................................................................................................................... 141
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Introduction
The renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (
1
), also known as the EU Youth Strategy,
covers the period from 2010 to 2018. It is divided into three-year work cycles. At the end of each cycle, a
European Union (EU) Youth Report should be drawn up by the Commission. The Council has specified that the
report 'shall consist of two parts: a joint Council-Commission report (political part), and supporting documents
(statistical and analytical part). The EU Youth Report will evaluate progress made towards the overall
objectives of the framework, as well as progress regarding the priorities defined for the most recent work cycle
and identify good practices'.
This
statistical part of the report
presents data and information on the current situation of young people in
Europe. Following an introductory chapter on demography, which presents the main trends in the youth
population over recent years, separate chapters are dedicated to the eight 'fields of action' identified in the
Council Resolution on the EU Youth Strategy (2010-2018): Education and Training, Employment and
Entrepreneurship, Health and Well-being, Participation, Voluntary Activities, Social Inclusion, Youth and the
World, and Culture, Creativity and ICT.
This part of the report builds on the dashboard of EU youth indicators (
2
), a selection of 41 indicators which
measure the most crucial aspects of young people's lives in Europe. Wherever one of these indicators is used, it
is highlighted on the relevant figure. The dashboard of EU youth indicators is presented as an annex to this
report.
The period when a person is considered to be 'young' differs across Europe according to national context, the
socio-economic development of society and time. Common to all countries is that the period of youth
the
transition from being a child to being an adult
is marked by important life changes: from being in education to
having a full-time job, from living in the parental home to setting up one's own household, and from being
financially dependent to managing one's own money.
Relying on Eurostat data, Eurobarometer surveys and other available sources, the population targeted in this part
of the report is primarily young people between 15 and 29 years of age. Where possible, the analysis
distinguishes between subgroups aged 15 to 19, 20 to 24, and 25 to 29. In other cases, a more limited age range
is used, either because of the specifications of survey data, or because the issue in question affects a particular
age group (e.g. early school leaving). In addition, children (under 16 years of age) are also included when
analysing indicators on poverty or social exclusion. In order to highlight specific issues affecting the youth
population, for some indicators comparisons with the total population or the prime working age group (people
aged 25-54) are also made.
In line with the analytical part of the EU Youth Report (
3
) illustrating the state of play of EU and national
initiatives and actions, the information and analysis of this statistical section covers the EU Member States and,
where the available data allows, the EU candidate countries (Albania, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey) as well as the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway).
(
1
)
(
2
)
Council resolution of 27 November 2009 on a renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018), OJ C
311, 19.12.2009, p. 1-11.
Commission Staff Working Document on EU indicators in the field of youth, SEC(2011) 401 final.
All EU Member States, EU candidate countries and EEA EFTA States were invited to submit national reports.
(
3
)
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This part of the report focuses on the most recent data available and, where possible, illustrates the trends which
have emerged since the establishment of the EU Youth Strategy in 2010.
EUROPEAN YOUTH: MAIN TRENDS
Young Europeans’ lives are improving
Young people are educated to an increasingly higher level.
Over the past decade, the majority of indicators
have registered positive trends with respect to education and training, as described in Chapter 2. The proportion
of young Europeans who have attained at least upper secondary level qualifications has risen, as has the
proportion with tertiary degrees; in parallel, a general decline in the proportion of early school leavers has also
occurred.
More young people are finding employment.
Improved educational attainment not only supports young
people's personal development, but it also benefits them in other areas of their lives. In particular, as illustrated
in Chapter 3, the positive relationship between higher levels of education and employment is well established in
most European countries. In the EU as a whole, the unemployment rate is much lower for young people
graduating from tertiary education than for those with the lowest levels of education. Following the rise in youth
unemployment provoked by the economic recession in the early years of the decade, the rates have been falling
since 2013 in the majority of European countries. Around 1.3 million fewer jobless young people live in the EU
today compared to 2013. Long-term youth unemployment has also declined.
There has been some improvement in the social inclusion of young
Significant improvements have
been made in many aspects of
Europeans.
Labour market improvements have had a positive impact on the
young people’s lives in recent
living conditions of many young people. Entering the job market often
years, marking a turning point
coincides with becoming independent and assuming new responsibilities in
in many European countries
terms of sustaining the significant costs of living independently. Having
better opportunities for finding gainful employment
strengthens young people’s ability to secure better social
and living conditions. Improvements in the labour market have also meant that the proportion of NEETs (young
people not in employment, education or training) has declined steadily in recent years, falling below the levels
registered in 2010. Indeed, in 2016, for the first time since the start of the economic crisis, the proportion of
unemployed NEETs was lower than that of inactive young people within this group. The proportion of young
Europeans suffering from severe material deprivation has also decreased since 2012 and is now at a lower level
than in 2010.
Young people appear less prone to risky health behaviours.
The difficulties young people face in their
transition to adulthood and independence also reflect on their general welfare. In particular, as discussed in
Chapter 4, vulnerable groups of young people such as those experiencing unemployment, poverty or social
exclusion may be particularly prone to more serious problems in their physical and mental health. In this sense,
better economic and living conditions positively influence the general well-being and health of individuals.
Indeed, the proportion of young Europeans reported to be smoking daily has been steadily decreasing in the
majority of countries. In addition, fewer episodes of alcohol abuse and intoxication have been reported amongst
16 year-olds.
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Young Europeans are demonstrating an increasing interest in politics and are taking advantage of the
new methods of participation offered by modern technology.
Improved opportunities in education and
employment, as well as progress in social inclusion, not only contribute to the younger generation’s well-being,
but can also revive their interest in political and civic issues and inspire them to re-engage with society. Chapter
5 documents the surge in the level of interest in politics expressed by young Europeans over the past decade,
which has also led to a reduction in the traditional gap vis-à-vis older age groups. In addition, data show that
young people feel more European than the general population, and self-identification as European citizens has
grown more amongst the young than amongst older individuals. This renewed attention to political issues is also
supported by the growing availability of internet applications, such as social media, blogs and online networks,
which offer additional opportunities for communicating and exchanging information. Indeed, as discussed in
Chapter 9, the daily use of the internet is increasing rapidly amongst young people.
Participation in voluntary activities shows an exceptional expansion.
This renewed engagement in society
has also translated into a sharp increase in the proportion of young Europeans participating in voluntary
organisations (as explained in Chapter 6). The figure has increased significantly since 2011. The increase in the
proportion of young volunteers contributing to projects in foreign countries is even larger: since 2011, the figure
has increase threefold, indicating young Europeans’
strong solidarity with citizens across borders.
However, some challenges persist…
Some groups of young people encounter difficulties in educational achievement.
The rate of
underachievement in literacy, numeracy and science is not improving. Since 2009, the proportion of students
aged 15 with low levels of proficiency in those key competences has either stagnated
–
as in the case of reading
and mathematics
–
or increased
–
as in science.
Poverty and social exclusion still affect large sections of the youth
Many young Europeans still
face challenges in terms of
population.
Despite a slight decline since 2014, the rate of children and
their educational attainment,
young persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion is still considerable and
their health and their living
higher than that recorded at the beginning of the decade. Concomitantly, the
conditions. Young people are
proportion of young people living in households with very low work intensity
also increasingly refraining
from taking part in the electoral
is still increasing, which poses serious risks to their economic and social
process
welfare. What is more, in line with the trend in the general population, a
growing proportion of young Europeans experience poverty while in employment. For this significant share of
the youth population, the risk of suffering social exclusion and deprivation is very high.
Obesity and insufficient physical activity pose health risks for an increasing number of young people.
Over recent years, the proportion of obese young people has increased in almost all countries with available
data. Obesity is partly linked to unhealthy eating habits, as well as to a lack of physical activity. Indeed, since
2011, the rate of participation of young Europeans in sports clubs has fallen.
Electoral turnout amongst young Europeans continues to decline.
The most traditional form of political
participation
–
voting
–
continues to lose its appeal amongst young Europeans, especially in EU elections.
While other ways of expressing interest in political and civic issues (e.g. online methods) become more
widespread, growing numbers of young citizens refrain from casting their ballot at elections. As discussed in
Chapter 5, research suggests that rather than a lack of interest in democratic participation, the main reason for
this disengagement seems to be that young people are not attracted by the choices on offer at elections.
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… and some groups of young Europeans suffer from inequalities
Young women and men both face disadvantages but in different areas.
Data presented across the statistical
section of this report point to the existence of inequalities between genders. Despite achieving higher levels of
education, women's participation in the labour market is
–
in some respects
–
less prominent than that of young
men. This is often related to the fact that they leave the labour force due to family and caring responsibilities.
For example, part-time work is more common amongst women than men, and fewer women become self-
employed. The potential economic fragility resulting from a less conspicuous involvement in the labour market
can amplify the danger of social deprivation. Indeed, the risk of poverty or social exclusion affects young
women to a larger extent than men. Larger proportions of young women also report facing barriers to accessing
medical examinations, although this might be also linked to their stronger
Young women suffer more from
tendency to seek medical care. Social and economic marginalisation is
social exclusion and political
known to have negative effects on the levels of political and civic
disengagement than young men,
who, in turn, are more
participation. As a matter of fact, women vote and take part in
susceptible
to
educational
organisations and political parties to a lesser extent than men.
underachievement and health
risks.
On the other hand, young men are disadvantaged in terms of educational
attainment compared to women. They generally complete upper secondary and tertiary education at lower rates
than women and are more at risk of leaving education early. Lower levels of participation in education
contribute to the higher numbers of unemployed among young men than women. Men also suffer particular
challenges in terms of health: not only are they more prone to risk behaviours and substance abuse (e.g.
smoking, alcohol and cannabis), but they are also more likely than women to succeed in their attempts to
commit suicide.
Young Europeans from eastern and southern Europe face comparatively bigger challenges in terms of
education, employment and inclusion.
The trends in these three areas show that inequalities are manifest
across different regions of Europe. For the main indicators on education, young people from countries in the
eastern and southern regions of Europe consistently have worse outcomes than the European average. Lower
proportions of students from these regions attain tertiary degrees, higher proportions leave school early, and
greater percentages of students have low proficiency in reading, mathematics and science.
Apart from educational attainment, there are considerable differences
Young people from southern and
between European countries in young people's use of digital technologies.
eastern
Europe
encounter
multiple
threats
to
their
The rate at which young Europeans from countries in the south and east of
educational, economic and social
Europe master digital skills is lower than the EU average. As these
development.
competences are increasingly important to succeed in the labour market as
well as for making the most of the opportunities for civic and cultural participation offered by the internet and
its applications, such a deficit poses a particularly serious risk of economic and social exclusion.
Indeed, higher than average general and long-term rates of youth unemployment are detected in the very same
regions of Europe. In the southern European countries that were severely affected by the European debt crisis,
youth unemployment rates are still considerably higher than before the recession. Moreover, in these countries
educational attainment seems unable to ease the path to employment: the unemployment rates of people aged
20-29 remain high among those with low-level as well as high-level qualifications.
All these disadvantages are reflected in the social and living conditions experienced by youth groups in southern
and eastern parts of Europe. Not only are they confronted with a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion, but
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in some countries their situation is deteriorating. While a general recovery in the economic and social prospects
of young people has occurred in recent years in most areas of Europe, some Member States
–
particularly in the
south
–
are still suffering the aftermath of the economic recession.
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1
1. Demography
EU youth indicators
Total number of children (0-14) on 1 January
Total number of young people (15-29) on 1 January
Proportion of young people (15-19, 20-24, 25-29) in the total population on 1 January
Figure 1-A
Figure 1-B
Figures 1-C and 1-D
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1.1. INTRODUCTION
There is no universally accepted definition of 'youth' in terms of the ages it covers. Cultural and socio-economic
factors influence perceptions and determine when a person enters this period of life and how long it lasts. This is
reflected in the fact that European countries’ national policies on youth matters vary in the age range they take
into account (
4
).
At EU level, official indicators in the field of youth set the age group as between 15 and 29 years of age (
5
). This
introductory chapter, therefore, sets the scene for the report as a whole by illustrating the key demographic data
and trends for this age group.
The first section offers an overview of the size and geographical distribution of young people across countries,
followed by an illustration of their proportion in the total population. The trend in the number and proportion of
young people over recent years is then described, accompanied by a discussion of the projected changes for the
years ahead. In the second section, the impact of international migration and patterns of youth mobility across
the continent are presented.
1.2. EUROPEAN YOUTH POPULATION: PAST AND FUTURE TRENDS
On 1 January 2016, the European Union counted almost 80 million
children
and over 88 million
young people
(Figures 1-A and 1-B).
Figure 1-A:
Number of children (aged 0-14) on 1 January, by country, 2016
EU youth indicator
EU-28
79 500 703
Below 100 000
Between 100 000 and
1 million
Between 1 and 7 million
Between 7 and 15 million
Over 15 million
Source:
Own calculation based on Eurostat [yth_demo_010].
(
4
)
(
5
)
Official definitions of 'youth' in European countries can be found on the online pages of the Youth Wiki at
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/en/content/youthwiki/youthwiki
Commission Staff Working Document on EU indicators in the field of youth, SEC(2011) 401 final.
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For both age groups, the areas with the highest populations of young people were western and central Europe,
while eastern and northern European countries reported lower figures. This clearly relates to the geographical
distribution of the general population across countries. Outside the EU, Turkey was clearly the European
country with the highest numbers of children and young people.
Figure 1-B:
Number of young people (aged 15-29) on 1 January, by country, 2016
EU-28
88 654 431
EU youth indicator
Below 100 000
Between 100 000 and
1 million
Between 1 and 7 million
Between 7 and
15 million
Over 15 million
Source:
Own calculation based on Eurostat [yth_demo_010].
Young people represent around 17 % of the total population of the European Union (Figure 1-C). This
proportion varies across countries: while it is comparatively smaller in Greece, Spain, Italy, and Slovenia
(below 16 %), it reaches the highest level in Cyprus, where 23.6 % of the population is under 30 years of age.
Iceland, Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey report the highest figures outside the
EU.
Figure 1-C:
Share of young people (aged 15-29) in the total population on 1 January, by age group and by
country, 2016
%
%
EU youth indicator
15-19
20-24
25-29
Notes:
The population corresponds to the number of persons having their usual residence in the country on 1st January. When 'usual
residence' cannot be established, the countries can report of the legal or registered residence.
Source:
Eurostat [demo_pjanind].
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The proportion of young people in the total population has declined
The proportion of young people
progressively over recent decades, from around 24 % in 1985 to 19 % in
in the European Union
2010 (
6
). Fewer births have led to a fall in the youth population and
–
continues to decrease and the
combined with increased life expectancy
–
to a parallel increase in the
decline is expected to carry on
in the future.
proportion of older age groups in the total population (
7
). In line with such
long term trends, the proportion of young people continued to drop between 2010 and 2016 (Figure 1-D). On
average, the size of the youth population decreased by 1.2 percentage points over those six years, equivalent to
roughly 1 million people. This decline affected countries to a different extent.
Figure 1-D:
Share of young people (aged 15-29) in the total population, by country, 2010 and 2016
%
%
EU youth indicator
Source:
Eurostat [demo_pjanind].
Central, eastern and southern European countries have seen comparatively larger drops in their youth
populations than northern ones. However, Ireland is the country recording the highest fall in percentage points
since 2010 (-4.8 p.p.). On the other hand, a few countries (Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Norway)
have witnessed slight increases in the proportion of young people in their population.
There are several reasons behind the decline in the youth population in the vast majority of European countries.
While fertility rates rose modestly during the first decade of the century, they remained below the replacement
level (
8
). Since 2008, they have recorded a further decline which will affect the youth population in the future.
This is partly due to the effects of the economic crisis which impacted on the level of unemployment and family
income, especially in those countries most severely hit by the economic downturn (
9
). In these countries, the
economic crisis has also meant high rates of youth emigration (discussed in the last section of the chapter),
further aggravating the demographic imbalance. In addition, a general tendency for women to give birth to
fewer children and at a later age in life is observed, which further reduces the proportion of children being
(
6
)
(
7
)
(
8
)
(
9
)
Time series of the proportion of younger age groups in the total population are available at the Eurostat online database [data code:
demo_pjanind].
Time series of total fertility rate are available at the Eurostat online database [data code: demo_find].
Eurostat, 2015.
Ibid.
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1
born (
10
). These trends are expected to continue in the coming decades, leading to further reductions in the size
of the EU youth population (Figure 1-E).
According to these projections, while the total EU
population is expected to grow through 2050 reaching
approximately 525 million in that year, the proportion
%
%
of young people will decrease from about 17 % in 2018
to below 16 % in 2050, equivalent to a reduction of
over 7 million individuals. The progressive decline in
the proportion of young people, in a context of gradual
growth in the total population and of ever-increasing
life expectancy rates, indicates that the EU population
is progressively ageing. This is expected to
substantially boost the old-age dependency ratio, a
measure of the extent to which the working-age
segment of the population has to support older age
Source:
Eurostat [proj_15npms].
groups through, for example, sustaining public
healthcare and pension schemes (
11
). As a result, younger generations will likely face an increased burden in
supporting the remainder of the population as they move into work (
12
).
Figure 1-E:
Projected proportion of the youth
population (aged 15-29), EU-28 average, 2018-2050
1.3 THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL AND INTRA-EU MIGRATION
The steady decrease in the youth population living in the EU over the last decades
growth of immigration from outside of the EU (
13
). The influx of immigrants has
compensated for the overall natural change in the general population and reversed
an otherwise declining trend in the total population (
14
). This phenomenon has
been evident since 2011, although a blip occurred in 2014 (Figure 1-F).
has been alleviated by the
Immigration from outside
the EU has partially offset
the decrease in the EU
youth population.
(
10
)
(
11
)
(
12
)
(
13
)
(
14
)
Ibid. and Amin and Behrman, 2013.
Eurostat's projections expect the average old-age-dependency ratio in the European Union to increase from 30.5 % in 2018 to
50.3 % in 2050 (online data code: proj_15ndbims).
For a discussion of the social and economic consequences of low fertility and demographic decline, see Bloom et al., 2008, and
Hansen and Gordon, 2014.
Wilson et al., 2013; Lanzieri, 2013.
An illustration of trends since 1960 can be found on the Eurostat website at
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php/Population_and_population_change_statistics
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Figure 1-F:
Crude rates of population change, EU-28 average, 2010-2015
%
%
Crude rate of total population change
Crude rate of net migration plus statistical adjustment
Crude rate of natural change in population
Notes:
A crude rate is calculated as the ratio of the number of events
to the average population of the respective area in a given year. The
natural change in population corresponds to the difference between
the number of live births and the number of deaths during the year.
Net migration plus statistical adjustment is calculated as the difference
between total population change and natural change.
Source:
Eurostat [demo_gind].
Data illustrated on the chart show how the crude rate of total population change rose owing to the growth in the
crude rate of net migration plus adjustment, especially since 2012.
Figure 1-G:
Proportion and number of young
people (aged 15-29) born in a country outside
the EU, by EU Member State, 2016
In addition, immigrants into EU Member States are, on
average, much younger than the total population already
resident in their country of destination: on 1 January 2016,
the median age of the total population of the EU-28 was
42.6 years while the median age of immigrants to EU-28 was
27.5 years (
15
). Although the contribution of immigration
from non-EU countries has not been enough to reverse the
general decline in the youth population living in the EU
–
as
illustrated in the first part of the chapter
–
it has nonetheless
made it less sharp. Immigration has impacted on countries'
youth populations at varying degrees as illustrated by the
proportion of young people born outside the EU and living
in EU Member States (Figure 1-G).
The highest numbers of young people born outside the EU
are found in Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
This is in line with statistics identifying these countries
(together with Germany, for which data are not available) as
among those hosting the largest numbers of international
migrants from across the world (
16
). Relative to the size of
the resident youth population, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus,
Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden present the highest
figures, reporting percentages equal to or higher than10 %.
Notes:
Ireland: break in series in 2016; France and Poland:
provisional data; Germany: derogation to participation in
data collection applies.
As data pertain to young people born outside of the
European Union, EFTA countries (IS, LI and NO) and EU
candidates (AL, FY, ME, RS and TR) are not included.
Source:
Eurostat [migr_pop3ctb].
(
15
)
(
16
)
Source: Eurostat, online data code [migr_imm2ctz] and discussion of data at
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics
United Nations, 2016.
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International migration also increases the diversity of the youth population in Europe. In the EU in 2014,
second-generation young immigrants (young people between 15 and 29 years of age born in an EU Member
State with at least one parent from a
Figure 1-H:
Proportion of young people (aged 15-29) moving in/
country outside the EU) were about
from a European country, by country, 2015
2.5 million (
17
).
Incoming
Outgoing
In addition to international flows,
intra-EU migration is an important
dimension of youth demography.
Thanks
to
the
increasing
opportunities for EU citizens to travel
and set up residence across EU
Member States, young Europeans
have become increasingly mobile and
likely to work or study in another
European country (
18
). Crossing
geographical and cultural borders and
gaining life and work experience in a
different context is a great
opportunity for a young person to
acquire personal skills, learn new
languages and appreciate the
diversity of European culture.
Comparing data by country on
incoming and outgoing mobility
allows for the identification of the
'net providers' and 'net receivers' of
the young people moving across
Europe; it also enables the mapping
of the main trajectories of intra-EU
youth mobility (Figure 1-H).
According to data from 2015, one
Notes:
According to the definitions provided by Eurostat, 'Immigration' denotes the
third of young people from Latvia,
action by which a person establishes his or her usual residence in the territory of a
Member State for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months, having
Lithuania and Hungary were resident
previously been usually resident in another Member State or a third country.
‘Emigration’ denotes the action by which a person, having previously been usually
in another country; Bulgaria and
resident in the territory of a Member State, ceases to have his or her usual residence
Estonia follow closely behind with
in that Member State for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months.
Percentages refer to the proportion of the population reaching the age of 15 and not
25 % and 20 % respectively. In
surpassing the age of 29 during the reference year.
contrast,
Belgium,
Denmark,
Luxembourg, and
–
outside the EU
–
Iceland and Norway appear as destinations attracting significant proportions of young Europeans. Other
countries (such as Germany, Netherlands and Sweden) show more balanced figures of outgoing and incoming
Source:
Eurostat [yth_demo_070] and [yth_demo_080].
(
17
)
(
18
)
Data source: Eurostat [lfso_14pcobp]. Data are only available for year 2014.
European Commission, 2012a and 2014a.
14
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1
migrants, partly due to the higher proportions of students of this age arriving for study purposes (as illustrated in
Chapter 2, Section 2.4).
The lack of EU level data for many countries since 2010 hampers the scope of analysis, which is therefore
limited to the countries for which data are available. Increases in the proportion of young people
emigrating to another country since 2010 have been observed in Italy and
Hungary, and, outside the EU, in Iceland and Liechtenstein (
19
). On the
other hand, Estonia and Finland have registered slight reductions in the
number of young people moving abroad over the past five years (
20
).
Significant flows of young
Europeans have moved from
eastern and southern countries
towards north-western ones over
the last decade.
Research on the topic provides further insight on these trends by
documenting increased flows of youth emigration from eastern European countries (especially Bulgaria, Poland
and the Baltic Republics) towards western ones (in particular, the United Kingdom and Germany), also as a
consequence of the economic crisis which began in 2008 and the rising levels of youth unemployment (as
discussed in Chapter 3) (
21
). In addition to an east-to-west trend, a south-to-north drift has also taken place, and
for similar reasons: significant proportions of young people have moved in recent years from southern European
countries (in particular Greece, Spain and Italy) to northern ones (again mainly Germany and the United
Kingdom) in search of education opportunities (discussed in Section 2.4 of the chapter on Education and
Training), improved career prospects and better economic conditions (
22
).
CONCLUSION
The proportion of young people in the European Union continues to decrease and the decline is expected to
carry on in the future. Eastern and southern European countries have seen comparatively larger drops in their
youth populations than the average in the EU. In addition to the general decrease in fertility rates affecting the
European population as a whole, in these countries, the economic crisis has also meant high rates of youth
emigration, further aggravating the demographic imbalance.
The steady decrease in the youth population living in the EU over the last decades has been alleviated by the
growth of immigration from outside of the EU. The influx of immigrants has compensated for the overall
natural change in the general population and reversed an otherwise declining trend in the total population. In
addition to international flows, intra-EU migration has also increased, young Europeans have become
increasingly mobile and likely to work or study in another European country.
(
19
)
(
20
)
(
21
)
(
22
)
For the countries mentioned, data are available at Eurostat's the online database [data code: yth_demo_070 and yth_demo_080].
Ibid.
King et al., 2016. In addition, the reports from the project 'ON-THE-MOVE
–The
reality of free movement for young European
citizens migrating in times of crisis'
from 2014 offer interesting insight on the motivations of young Europeans migrants. Available
at:
http://euonthemove.eu/lessons-learned/
[Accessed on 9 November 2017].
Glorius and Dominguez-Mujica, 2017.
15