Visualizing How Europe’s Population Has Changed (1990-2023)

Between 1990 and 2023, the world population grew by more than 50%. But not all countries grew at the same rate, and some in fact, some didn’t grow at all.

Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao maps Europe’s population changes, color-coded by growth (green) and declines (red) in the same time period.

Data is sourced from the UN’s World Population Prospects 2024.

Population Growth Division Across Western and Eastern Europe

Western European countries have seen significant population growth, even as birth rates have fallen, indicating migration into the region.

Türkiye (+56%) and Ireland (+48%) have registered the most growth for countries with more than 1 million people.

Country
ISO Code
1990–2023
Population Change
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
LUX
74%
🇨🇾 Cyprus
CYP
71%
🇹🇷 Türkiye
TUR
56%
🇦🇩 Andorra
AND
54%
🇮🇸 Iceland
ISL
52%
🇮🇪 Ireland
IRL
48%
🇲🇹 Malta
MLT
45%
🇸🇲 San Marino
SMR
44%
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
AZE
43%
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
LIE
37%
🇨🇭 Switzerland
CHE
32%
🇳🇴 Norway
NOR
30%
🇲🇨 Monaco
MCO
28%
🇪🇸 Spain
ESP
23%
🇸🇪 Sweden
SWE
23%
🇳🇱 Netherlands
NLD
20%
🇬🇧 UK
GBR
20%
🇦🇹 Austria
AUT
19%
🇧🇪 Belgium
BEL
18%
🇫🇷 France
FRA
17%
🇩🇰 Denmark
DNK
16%
🇫🇮 Finland
FIN
12%
🇩🇪 Germany
DEU
6%
🇸🇮 Slovenia
SVN
6%
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
CZE
5%
🇸🇰 Slovakia
SVK
5%
🇮🇹 Italy
ITA
4%
🇵🇹 Portugal
PRT
4%
🇲🇪 Montenegro
MNE
2%
🇵🇱 Poland
POL
2%
🇬🇷 Greece
GRC
0%
🇷🇺 Russia
RUS
-2%
🇭🇺 Hungary
HUN
-7%
🇧🇾 Belarus
BLR
-11%
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
MKD
-11%
🇪🇪 Estonia
EST
-13%
🇦🇱 Albania
ALB
-14%
🇽🇰 Kosovo
XKX
-14%
🇷🇸 Serbia
SRB
-14%
🇦🇲 Armenia
ARM
-17%
🇷🇴 Romania
ROU
-17%
🇭🇷 Croatia
HRV
-19%
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
BGR
-23%
🇱🇹 Lithuania
LTU
-23%
🇧🇦 Bosnia &
Herzegovina
BIH
-28%
🇺🇦 Ukraine
UKR
-28%
🇱🇻 Latvia
LVA
-29%
🇬🇪 Georgia
GEO
-30%
🇲🇩 Moldova
MDA
-31%

Note: Population changes measured between July 1st 1990–2023. Figures rounded.

On the other hand, Russia and several former Soviet bloc countries have fewer people now than they did in 1990, when the Berlin Wall fell.

The Balkan countries have also seen population declines, after waves of emigration following the Yugoslav Wars.

The IMF estimates nearly 25 million Eastern Europeans left between 1990 and 2015, more than the combined population of the Czech Republic and Hungary. Their analysis found that countries with a less effective rule of law and weaker institutions saw the highest emigration rates, usually amongst the educated and skilled workers.

And though emigrants send remittances home, the money received from abroad is a double-edged sword. The IMF says that while investment and consumption have increased in Eastern Europe, currencies have also appreciated, reducing the competitiveness of exports.