In France, where deaths outpaced births in 2025 for the first time since the end of World War II, President Emmanuel Macron has called for “demographic rearmament,” warning that falling birth rates are tied to rising infertility and people having children later in life. In February Paris urged 29-year-olds to have children while they still can, while announcing plans to expand fertility services and increase support for families.
The demographic shift will mean fewer workers and more retirees across Europe, putting extra pressure on pension systems and healthcare services as the population ages.
Migration has helped to offset the population decline in recent years, but can’t fully compensate for falling birth rates, according to research by the European Parliament. Yet policies are tightening: In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed last month that around 80 percent of the Syrians currently living in Germany should return to their home country within the next three years.