European Union Needs Immigration or It Will Age and Die Off

(Bloomberg) -- There is not a single country in the European Union where the birth rate is enough to prevent the population from shrinking. Eurostat data released this week confirm that an all-but-irreversible demographic decline -- straining the bloc’s welfare systems and damping its growth outlook -- is only getting worse. Without immigrants to replenish its ranks, pay taxes and work, Europe runs the risk of dying off.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Zoe Schneeweiss

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