European population affected/interested by the LIFE-IESS project (Ecovast document)

STUDY OF SMALLER TOWNS Their size and potential importance in Europe European Council for the Village and Small Town (ECOVAST)

8.1 The average ‘urban’ population across Europe living in towns/cities over 50,000 population is 37.5%. If the three countries which have over 50% in this category are discounted the average of the remaining 42 countries falls to 34.1%.

8.2 More than 80% of the towns in Europe are below 50,000. 1,389 are in the category between 20,000 and 29,999. A further 3,191 are in the smallest town category – between 10,000 and 19,999, together making up 13.3% of the total population of Europe.

8.3 There are 7 countries where 20% or more of their population is in smaller towns less than 30,000.

8.4 There are nearly 243 million people living in places where the population is less than 10,000, which will include many much smaller rural towns as well as villages and the countryside. This amounts to three times the size of Germany, the biggest country in Europe – a substantial proportion of 42% of the whole population of Europe (the proportion being higher in the rest of Europe than in the 27 countries of the European Union)