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World Population Day: Demographics in the Spotlight – Concerns of the Churchestranslated

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

Every year on 11 July, World Population Day is observed, established by the former Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, following public interest in the Day of Five Billion, commemorated on 11 July 1987. In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 45/216, deciding to continue observances of World Population Day to raise awareness of demographic issues, including their connection to the environment and development. The day was first observed on 11 July 1990 in over 90 countries. Since then, UNFPA offices in various nations, organizations, and institutions have commemorated World Population Day. Recent demographic projections from Eurostat for Greece are particularly concerning. According to April 2026 estimates, the country’s population is projected to decline by 30.1% by the end of the century, from 10.37 million today to approximately 7.24 million inhabitants. Greece is expected to fall below the ten million threshold as early as the mid-2030s. The Church of Greece The issue…

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Cécile Girard

These Eurostat figures are really worrying; falling below 10 million by 2035 changes everything for our villages and parishes. The Church of Greece is right to sound the alarm, here in France we are already seeing the consequences with schools closing. Perhaps we should encourage families more concretely, like with help for the third child?

Tomáš Veselý

Yes, those figures from Eurostat are serious. Here in the Czech Republic, we are also slowly seeing this - young people are leaving for the cities, churches are emptying out, and in our parish in Ostrava we are already having trouble finding enough children for Sunday school. What does our bishop say about this?

Daniel Baker

Our parish in Sydney is full of Greek families and we’re already seeing the same thing – fewer kids in Sunday school each year and some of the older villages back in Greece emptying out. The Eurostat drop to 7.24 million by 2100 is sobering. Our bishop keeps reminding us that strong families are the only real answer, not just more government programs.

Marija Savić

Here in Serbia, the same thing is slowly going wrong, the villages are emptying, and in the parish we can hardly collect children for religious education. Those Eurostat numbers for Greece - 7.24 million by the end of the century - are really worrying, just like our Church says. What do you think, will it force the state to finally help families with more children?

Bogdan Radu

Yes, those figures from Eurostat make you think twice. Here in Sibiu, I see how the surrounding villages are emptying, exactly as Cécile says about France, and fewer and fewer children come to Sunday catechesis. The church is right to sound the alarm, but will the state do something concrete until it reaches 7.24 million?

Basil Young

Our parish here in Wichita has a handful of Greek families too, and yeah, the Sunday school numbers are shrinking just like Daniel mentioned from Sydney. Those Eurostat figures hitting below 10 million by the mid-2030s are no joke; our bishop keeps saying strong families and real support for young couples are the only things that turn it around. What’s one practical step the Church in Greece is pushing for?

Petar Nikolić

Here in Belgrade, it is similar, the parish is struggling to gather children for religious education because young people move away for work. Those numbers for Greece are really alarming, I agree with the Church that the state must help families with more children, but I wonder if it will be enough without a change in people's minds. What do you think, would some concrete measures from the past help here?

Isabelle Martin

Yes, these figures are chilling, especially when we see the churches and schools which are gradually emptying out. At home in Nice, we already feel the pressure on classes and Sunday masses. Rather than aid only for the third child, I wonder if the Church could not also remind more firmly that a large family is a real vocation, not just an option. What do you think?

Mathilde Lefebvre

Yes, these churches which are emptying, I also see it in Strasbourg, especially on Sunday morning. In our area, we have already closed a local bakery because there were no longer enough families to run the business. Perhaps the Church should emphasize more on the concrete joy of having several children, rather than just on duty, right? What works best in Nice to encourage young couples?

Teodora Florea

Yes, Bogdan, here in Sibiu, too, the villages are becoming more and more empty, and fewer and fewer children actually stay at the Sunday catechesis. The church has been sounding the alarm for years, but the state seems to be moving too slowly with concrete measures for families. Do you think bursaries for mothers or maybe local support programs in parishes would help more?

Marija Pavlović

Here in Kragujevac, it's the same, the parish hardly collects children for religious studies because the parents work late or move to Belgrade and abroad. I agree that measures from the past, such as the third child tax relief in the 1990s, could help, but without a change in people's minds - where marriage and children are seen as a burden rather than a blessing - it will be difficult. What do you think, could the Church help more through some practical programs for young couples?

Sofija Ristić

Here in Banja Luka, the parish is struggling with the same thing - last year we barely gathered a dozen children for religious education because the parents work abroad. I think that tax breaks for the third and fourth children would help, but without strong church work with young married couples it will not be enough. What do you suggest parishes do specifically?

Ion Nistor

Yes, Teodora, I see the same in the villages of Dobrogea - closed houses and empty pews at catechesis. I think that local programs in parishes would help faster than scholarships, because there the priest knows each family and can give concrete help, not just paper. What measures have you already tried in Sibiu?

Gheorghe Popescu

Yes, Teodora, here in Bucharest too, the old neighborhoods are emptying, and we see fewer and fewer young people in the church choir. The local programs in the parishes really help, because the priest knows who needs a bag of food or help with the children's school. Do you think there would also be some kind of cooking workshop on Sundays for mothers and grandmothers to meet and talk?

Ioana Stan

Yes, Ion, it's exactly the same here in Dobrogea, I see the same fenced houses and few children at work. At our parish we started with a small program to help young mothers – packages of baby things and practical advice from the nurse – and it caught on better than any paper from the town hall. What exactly did you do in that village?

Nathalie Bernard

Yes, in Paris we see the same churches emptying on Sundays, and the neighborhood is gradually losing its small businesses like yours. I think the emphasis on the real joy of raising children, with concrete examples of large families getting by, touches more than just duty. In Nice, according to what my son who went there for a conference told me, it is mainly the groups of young couples around the parish who organize outings and shared daycare; It seems to work better than sermons alone. And at home in Strasbourg, have you already tried something like this?

Petar Popović

Here in Belgrade, I see the same thing - in the parish, we hardly gather children for religious education, and those who come are often from families where both parents work until dark or move away. I agree that tax breaks would help, but I think the Church can do more through practical things like free summer camps for young couples with children or counseling sessions where marriage is talked about without big lectures. What do you think, would something like that take root in Kragujevac?

Katarina Đorđević

It's similar here in Belgrade, last year only eight boys came to the football tournament for children from the parish because their fathers went to Germany. Tax credits would help, I agree, but I think parishes would first have to organize regular evening talks for young married couples - with the priest and some older couples who stayed. Have you tried something similar in Banja Luka?

Ana Matei

Yes, Ioana, in our village near Sibiu I see exactly the same closed houses and empty pews at church on Sundays. We arranged a hot meal after the service for families with small children, with what every mother bakes, and more people came than at any conference. How did you choose that nurse, through the parish or the town hall?

Yes, in Strasbourg we can see the same churches emptying and the neighborhood bakeries closing one by one. Groups of young couples with shared daycare, like in Nice, seem to me to be a more concrete avenue than speeches alone; At our parish, we have timidly started picnics after mass with large families, it relaxes the atmosphere. And you, Nathalie, has your son noticed if these young couples really have more children later?

Nikola Todorović

Here in the parish of St. George in Kragujevac, the same thing happens, we can hardly collect a dozen children for religious education because the parents work in factories until five or six in the afternoon or move to Belgrade. I think the Church could help specifically by organizing cheap or free workshops for young couples on how to balance work and family, not just lectures. What do you think, would that change anything for you?

Laurent Moreau

Yes, in Marseille too the churches are emptying and small businesses are closing one after the other. Daycare centers shared between young couples, like in Nice, seem to me to be a good idea; At home we have just started organizing picnics after the liturgy with the children, it is already creating bonds without too much pressure. And you, Nathalie, has your parish in Paris already tried family cooking or gardening workshops?

Sofija Kostić

Here in Niš, it is similar, the parish struggles to gather children for religious education because many mothers work in shifts and young couples move for work. I think that the Church could help through practical advice in premarital discussions, for example how to balance work and family without everything being a burden. And you, have you noticed that something has changed in the last couple of years in Kragujevac?

Dragan Kostić

Here in Podgorica, it's similar, we barely fill up ten children for religious education in the summer because families move or work non-stop. Those free camps for young parents with children could really take root, at least here in the parish near St. George. And what do you think, should we start with small counseling centers once a week or immediately with bigger camps?

Hélène Martin

Yes, Mathilde, these picnics after mass are a good idea, it makes families visible and it breaks up the routine a little. In Paris we saw the same thing in our neighborhood, with two bakeries which closed last year. Do your young couples in Nice really share daycare between several families or is it more informal?

Here in Banja Luka, it's the same, barely five or six children go to religious education in the summer, and the parents complain that they don't even have a weekend off from work. I think it would be better to start with small counseling sessions once a week, so that we can see who will actually come, and not to immediately create large camps that no one will fill. What does your priest at St. George's say, could he have such conversations?

Vladimir Ilić

Here in Podgorica, it's really like that, at St. George's, barely ten children go to religious education, and their parents work non-stop. I think that small counseling sessions once a week would be a good first step, so let's see about the camps after that. Do you have a concrete idea of what the counseling center would look like, Dragan?