Eurostat: in 189 EU regions, less than 55 percent of the population is aged 20-64

The latest Eurostat data shows major differences between regions of the Union. Where there are the fewest people of working age, employers may find it harder to recruit staff.

At the beginning of 2025, people aged 20 to 64 accounted for 58.3 percent of the population of the European Union, or 263.2 million people. These figures were reported by Eurostat (opens in a new tab). In 189 NUTS 3 regions, the share of this group was below 55 percent. NUTS 3 is an EU statistical classification that in Poland corresponds to subregions.

The lowest rates mainly concern rural and sparsely populated areas. These include inland Portugal, a large part of rural France, most of eastern Germany, and rural regions of Bulgaria, Greece and the Nordic countries. In six regions, people of working age make up less than half of the population. These are Bornholm in Denmark, Creuse and Lot in France, Etelä-Savo in Finland, the Veurne district in Belgium, and Mayotte. According to pulsHR.pl, this French overseas region has the lowest figure in the EU.

At the other end of the ranking are 39 regions where the share of people aged 20-64 is at least 63 percent. Twenty-two of them are in Germany. The rest are mainly capital regions and Spanish islands. The highest shares, at 68.9 percent each, are in Copenhagen and Ibiza with Formentera. They are followed by Fuerteventura with 68.3 percent and Lanzarote with 67.3 percent.

No Polish region exceeded the 63 percent threshold. The highest shares are in Kraków and Wrocław, at 62.1 percent each, followed by Warsaw and Poznań, at 61.1 percent each. The lowest were recorded in the Puławy (57.2 percent), Siedlce (57.5 percent), Kielce (57.6 percent), Skierniewice (57.8 percent) and Chełm-Zamość (57.9 percent) subregions. The results of these five subregions are below the EU average, but clearly above the 55 percent threshold.

Eurostat data also shows a broader trend. The old-age dependency ratio in the EU rose from 63.4 percent in 2005 to 71.6 percent in 2025. This means that for every child or senior, there are now about 1.4 people of working age. Twenty years ago, it was about 1.6 people. Recruitment company ManpowerGroup says in its “Talent Shortage 2026” report that 57 percent of employers in Poland report difficulties filling positions.

For companies planning recruitment, new branches or relocating teams, these figures mean that the demographics of a specific region matter, not just those of the country as a whole.