Population Growth in European Countries and Cities On the whole, eastern European countries are experiencing markedly lower population growth than the rest of Europe even though their fertility rates are comparable. The outlier is Poland, which – despite relative economic success in the region and marginal population growth at the national level – is still experiencing decline in many of its bigger cities as residents migrate to opportunities in richer countries. However, citizens are not only being ‘lost’ to foreign states. In most countries, only smaller cities are shrinking – for example Brest, France; Sunderland, United Kingdom or Bilbao, Spain – suggesting that residents also leave for larger cities within their country. Athens, Greece – where recent economic shocks have led to reduced opportunities – is one of the few examples of a shrinking capital city. In contrast, Tirana, the neighbouring capital city of postcommunist Albania, is growing rapidly despite general depopulation at country level. Acharnes, a suburban town adjoining Athens, is growing, highlighting how growth and decline can differ even at a local level. The European Union’s overall fertility rate has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 live births per woman for several decades, and almost 2.4 million fewer babies were born in 2011 than in 1961. Since 2000, none of the countries highlighted above have achieved a replacement birth rate, swelling the proportion of older people and increasing the need for migration to support growth. Source: LSE Cities (x)