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Abstract

Currently across Europe, birth rates are falling and the population is ageing. This study assesses which policies can prevent or mitigate the adverse consequences of these two trends. A framework highlights the interrelationships among government policies, macro-level conditions, and household-level demographic behaviour. Guided by this framework, the RAND team reviewed the research literature, examined European demographic data, and conducted case studies of five countries.

Across Europe, birth rates are falling and family sizes are shrinking. The total fertility rate is now less than two children per woman in every member nation in the European Union (see Figure 1). As a result, European populations are either growing very slowly or beginning to decrease.