Ireland had highest population increase in EU last year

Ireland had the highest birth rate, and one of the lowest death rates in the EU last year, new figures show.

According to Eurostat, Ireland's birthrate, at 14.4 per 1,000 people, was the highest in the 28 countries of the EU, where the average was 10.1 per 1,000.

Ireland’s death rate, at 6.4 per 1,000 residents was one of the lowest. The EU death rate was 9.7 per 1,000 residents. Bulgaria, with 15.1 per 1,000 residents, had the highest death rate.

As a consequence, Ireland also had the highest increase in population in 2014, based on the difference between live births and deaths, at 8.1 per 1,000.

This was followed by Cyprus, at 4.7 per 1,000, France and Luxembourg, both 4 per 1,000. The EU average increase during the same period was 0.3 per 1,000.

With 16 per cent of the total EU population (81.2 million), Germany remains the most populated EU country, ahead of France, with 13.1 per cent and 66.4 million residents, and the United Kingdom with 12.9 per cent and 64.8 million residents.

On January 1st, 2015, the population of the European Union was estimated at 508.2 million, compared with 506.9 million a year earlier.

During the year 2014, 5.1 million babies were born in the EU, while 4.9 million people died, meaning that the EU recorded a positive natural change of its population of 0.2 million, double that of 2013.