A new study from Austria has contended that not only is mass migration a large driver of population growth in Europe, but it may be close to being the sole driver, as native birthrates stagnate or decline.
The study, conducted by the researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the Vienna Wittgenstein Center, looked at European population trends from between 1990 and 2017, and found that almost all population growth in Western Europe was driven by migration, Kronen Zeitung reports.
“Migration movements have become the driving force behind growth and decline of the population of Europe,” ÖAW demographer Tomas Sobotka said.
Only two Western European countries, Ireland and France, saw population growth due to births rather than mass migration, but more recent reports have shown the French birthrate in decline for the past three years.
