Europe is a part of the world located in the Northern Hemisphere and forming mainland Eurasia with Asia. On its territory there are 46 officially recognized states and 5 unrecognized. It is generally accepted to divide Europe into four parts: Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern. A brief overview of the population of Eastern Europe and the countries that form it will be presented to your attention further.
Characteristics of Eastern Europe
The development of Eastern Europe was greatly affected by the geographical location of a part of the world. Historically, the region continually finds itself at the junction of two warring factions. Only in the last 100 years the outlines of European states have changed several times. Some countries disappeared, others appeared. All these processes inevitably left scars on the economy and politics.
The countries of Eastern Europe are characterized by a lower level of economic development than their western “neighbors”. However, countries are also characterized by a high level of ethnic and cultural identity. The population of Eastern Europe is 135 million people.
Eastern European countries
Previously, geographers drew a line dividing Eastern and Western Europe along the border of the Slavic states, thus, reckoning only the Slavs in Eastern Europe. But after the Second World War, the UN drew a new border for the region, according to which Eastern Europe includes 9 countries and part of Russia.
Eastern European countries:
- Ukraine.
- Poland.
- Czech.
- Romania.
- Belarus.
- Hungary.
- Bulgaria.
- Slovakia.
- Moldova.
The total population of Eastern Europe is already known to you. Most of the residents are concentrated in Ukraine and Poland. The average population density in Eastern Europe is 30 people per square kilometer.
After the Second World War, all the countries listed above somehow fell under the influence of the USSR, in fact, this played a decisive role in transferring the borders of the region. Of all the states of Eastern Europe, only three are not Slavic - these are Romania, Hungary and Moldova.
Almost all countries in Eastern Europe lack minerals, although the region itself is generally not resource poor. The fact is that there is an acute issue of “incomplete” resources (in each country there are large reserves of one or two minerals and there are absolutely no others). Numerous transit routes passing through the region and active trade between countries do not allow to bring the economic situation to critical.
The states themselves vary greatly in size, population, standard of living, ecology, etc. It is impossible to get a clear picture of the region by considering only a few of them.
Czech
The Czech Republic is a small state with a population of 11 million people (7% of the population of Eastern Europe). The numbers have not changed over the past almost twenty years. The Czech Republic reached a post-war maximum in the population in 1991, after which a steady decline was observed.
Since 2006, the state’s population has been gradually increasing, largely due to migrants from the countries of the former USSR. At the end of 2008, for example, almost 500 thousand foreigners legally resided in the Czech Republic. Most of them were immigrants from Ukraine (31%), Slovakia (17%), as well as Poland, Russia and Vietnam. Vietnamese (13%), Russians (6%), Poles (5%) and Germans (4%). The remaining 24% are from other nationalities.
Most of the residents - 70% - young and mature people aged 25 to 50 years, 13% are children under 15 years old, the rest of the population - 16% are elderly. The coefficient of the general demographic burden for the Czech Republic is 42.4%. This means that the number of able-bodied citizens is almost twice the number of those who are still or are not able to work and independently provide for themselves. The child load ratio (the ratio of the number of children under 15 to the adult population) is 19%, and the retirement rate (the ratio of the number of pensioners to able-bodied citizens) is 23%.
The national composition of the Czech Republic is 95% represented by ethnic Czechs. These include the Czechs themselves (81.3%), as well as immigrants from Silesia and Moravia (13.7%).
Poland
Poland is the most religious country not only in the region, but throughout Europe. Of the 39 million people (29% of the population of Eastern Europe), 85% are Catholic. Like the Czech Republic, Poland is considered very attractive for tourists. Low prices, a large number of medieval castles and delicious national cuisine attract travelers.
In the middle of the last century, Poland experienced a severe economic decline, which greatly affected the quality of life of the population. However, after joining the UN and the reforms carried out in the 90s, the state began a rapid rise. At the moment, Poland is considered one of the most dynamically developing countries in Europe. It attracts a large number of migrants from Ukraine.
Poland’s demographic indicators worsened after the country joined the European Union. The reason was the mass migration of the able-bodied population to more developed (at that time) states. As a result, the birth rate decreased, an annual decline in the population is observed, albeit a small one (-0.06).
With regard to national composition, Poland is one of the most mono-ethnic states in the world. 97% of the population consider themselves to be Poles, other nationalities are represented by gypsies, Germans, Ukrainians and Belarusians.
Romania
Romania is an industrialized country with a developing economy. The government focuses on the economy on oil (which is abundant here) and high-quality oil refining equipment. Almost 60% of the population are able-bodied citizens. Of these, 40% are employed in the service sector, 30% in agriculture and the same in the industrial sector.
In Romania today there is a population decline. The main cause of negative demographic phenomena is considered to be migration outflow. For example, in 1991 the population decline (migration) was 18%, in 2001 - 25%, and in 2007, after the country joined the European Union, - 22%. In recent years, the migration decline has somehow been covered by migrants from Moldova who have arrived in large numbers in Romania, which grants citizenship. However, starting in 2013, the country has not received natural
migration growth.Ukraine
Ukraine is an industrial-agrarian country with a little over 40 million inhabitants. The country met the twentieth century with the highest population growth rates in Europe. Its strength was subsequently influenced by the First and Second World Wars, the Civil War, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the political crisis, which, which began in 2014, has not yet ended. The population situation is far from the best.
Hungary
Hungary is a small country with a booming economy. The main focus of the state is on engineering and industry. The population for 2013 was 9 million people. The number of citizens is growing steadily, although there is a negative natural increase.
The population of the country is mono-ethnic, because most of the inhabitants are Hungarians. Significant Hungarian communities live in neighboring countries.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a small country with a weak economy, with a population of just over 7 million (5% of the population of Eastern Europe). The Bulgarian economy has experienced many dramatic moments and is currently in decline. The country has reserves of coal and gas, but in general there are very few resources. Bulgaria places great emphasis on agriculture (especially tobacco and winemaking).
Most of the population lives in cities, although the number of urban residents previously grew very slowly. The overwhelming majority of citizens are employed in the service sector, and slightly less in the industrial sector. Only 10% of the population is engaged in agriculture.
Slovakia
Slovakia is a small country with a population of only 5 million people (about 4% of the population of Southeast Europe). The country is considered relatively the most developed. The stable pace of development of the state also affected the population - the natural increase in 2016, for example, amounted to 5.2 thousand people.
In addition, the country is also distinguished by its ethnic composition: in the territory of Slovakia there are more than 15 regions with a high concentration of the Hungarian population, and Russian-speaking citizens live mainly in the Prešov Region. Slovaks make up 85% of the population, other ethnic groups are represented by such nationalities:
- Hungarians (10%);
- gypsies (2%);
- Czechs (0.8%);
- Russians and Ukrainians (0.6%);
- other nationalities (1.4%).
Moldova
Moldova is the lowest country in Eastern Europe. According to recent estimates, just over 3 million people live here. This is only 2% of the population of Eastern Europe. However, it is in this country that the population density is very high. It is 131 people per square kilometer. This is the largest population density in Eastern Europe.
The number of citizens has been declining since the nineties. Although, according to statistics, 15 births account for 12 deaths. The number of Moldovans is decreasing due to migration processes - many citizens decide to try their luck abroad.
The economy in the country is very weak, the main emphasis is on agriculture, where most of the inhabitants (65%) are employed. There are almost no minerals in the state, so resources have to be purchased mainly from neighbors. Despite the large number of attractions, tourism is poorly developed.
Belarus
Belarus is a medium-sized country with a population of 10 million people. The economy of the state is built on the basis of social orientation. The main emphasis is on light industry, agriculture and mechanical engineering.
The population of the republic at the moment is 9.5 million people. The number of deaths exceeds the number of births for a long time. The population of Belarus has been steadily declining since 1993. Most of the residents then lived in cities (67%), today this figure is even higher - 76%.
The average life expectancy in the country is 72 years. This is slightly higher than in neighboring Russia and Ukraine, but much lower than in European countries.