Europe's aging population fuels record leader unpopularity and economic decline

Recent polls show that the heads of Europe’s three largest economies—Germany, France and the United Kingdom—record the lowest approval ratings in modern history. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fell to 16% approval in May, French President Emmanuel Macron is tied or surpassed former President François Hollande as the most unpopular French leader in half a century, and outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer received just 13% satisfaction before resigning. Similar distrust is evident across the continent, with low confidence levels for Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, Portugal’s Luis Montenegro, the Netherlands’ Rob Jetten and other leaders.

Former ECB chief and ex‑Italian prime minister Mario Draghi’s September 2024 report, *The Future of European Competitiveness*, warns that Europe is rapidly losing its global economic edge. The EU’s share of world GDP fell from 26.5% in 1990 to 16.1% in 2024, while productivity now stands at about 80% of the United States, down from 95% in 1995. Draghi attributes much of the slowdown to a rapidly aging population: the EU median age rose from 39.3 years in 2004 to 44.9 years in 2025, with Romania aging the fastest (+8.4 years) and Italy now having the oldest median age.