The number of children in Malta dropped by eight percentage points last year when compared to 1994, according to Eurostat.

The publication states that the EU last year registered 10 million fewer children aged 15 and younger than in 1994.

The share of children in the total population decreased over the last 20 years in all EU states, except Denmark.

The largest reductions in the proportion of children in the population were observed in Cyprus (from 25.2 per cent in 1994 to 16.3 per cent in 2014, or -8.9 percentage points), Poland (-8.7 percentage points), Slovakia (-8.2 percentage points) and Malta (-8 percentage points).

Last year, Ireland (22 per cent) recorded by far the largest proportion of children, followed by France (18.6 per cent), the United Kingdom (17.6 per cent), Denmark (17.2 per cent), Sweden (17.1 per cent) and Belgium (17 per cent). In contrast, the lowest shares of young people where observed in Germany (13.1 per cent), Bulgaria (13.7 per cent) and Italy (13.9 per cent).

At EU level, children accounted for 15.6 per cent of the total population in 2014, down from 18.6 per cent in 1994.

Based on population projections, the share of people aged 15 and younger is expected to rise by 2050 in nine EU states compared with 2014. At EU level, the share of children is expected to slightly decrease in the future, from 15.6 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent.

In the EU, the average age of young people leaving the parental household stood at 26.1 in 2013.

Young people left home earlier in the three Nordic member states were at 19.6 years in Sweden, 21 years in Denmark and 21.9 years in Finland.

Young people in Croatia remained the longest in the parental household, with an average age of 31.9, ahead of Slovakia (30.7), Malta (30.1), and Italy (29.9).

In every EU state, young women tend to leave the parental household earlier than men.