New Alzheimer Europe report projects 64% increase in dementia across Europe by 2050

(Press-News.org) The objective of “The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025” report is to provide updated figures for the number of people living with dementia both for Europe as a whole, as well as the countries within.  It builds upon the work undertaken in the “Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019”, in which Alzheimer Europe previously calculated the prevalence of dementia in Europe.  It applies prevalence estimates across 5-year age bands to UN World Population Prospects data 2024, for the years 2025 and 2050.  For 2025, there are an estimated 9,065,706 people with dementia living in EU27 countries and 12,122,979 for EU27 and non-EU countries  combined.  For 2050, there will be an estimated 14,335,788 people with dementia in EU27 countries and 19,905,856 in EU and non-EU countries combined.  This means that, by 2050, the numbers are set to increase by 58% in the EU and by 64% across the whole of Europe. The key message for EU and national decision-makers is that, with the number of people living with dementia increasing in this manner over the coming decades, they must act now, by investing sufficiently in health, care and social protection systems, providing adequate support for research, and implementing strong preventative interventions. Failure to do so can only exacerbate the challenges ahead.  Luxembourg, 28 January 2026 – Alzheimer Europe has today launched the “The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025” report, which provides updated prevalence figures for the number of people living with dementia both for Europe as a whole, as well as the countries within. The report builds upon Alzheimer Europe’s previous work in the “Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019”. Alzheimer Europe adopted the same methodology, seeking out community-based studies published since the Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019, from which new prevalence rates across 5-year age bands were derived. These updated prevalence rates were then applied to population projections for 2025 and 2050 taken from the UN World Population Prospects (UN WPP) data 2024. 

For 2025, the number of people living with dementia is 9,065,706 for EU27 countries and 12,122,979 for EU and non-EU countries. The report also estimates that by 2050 there will be 14,335,788 people with dementia in EU27 countries and 19,905,856 people with dementia in EU and non-EU countries combined. This means that, by 2050, the estimated number of people living with dementia will increase by 58% in the EU27 countries, and by 64% in EU and non-EU countries combined.

To understand whether there had been any significant change in the estimated number of people with dementia, between 2019 and 2025, Alzheimer Europe used its estimates for EU27 countries, as a point of comparison. The overall numbers of people estimated to be living with dementia in the EU27 for the years 2025 and 2050, are broadly consistent across the two reports. However, among men, consistently higher prevalence rates were observed in each of the 70+ age bands, but in particular for the 70-74 band. The picture for women was generally more mixed. 

The projected increase in overall numbers reinforces the call that Alzheimer Europe and its member associations have been making for many years: EU and national decision-makers must take action to ensure that society supports people with the condition, their families and carers to live well as well as possible.

From a policy perspective, health and social care systems must have the necessary capacity and infrastructure to provide high-quality care and support to individuals living with dementia, from diagnosis through to end-of-life care. 

Furthermore, research agendas must, as a matter of priority, give dementia the status it deserves, prioritising basic research to better understand the condition, clinical studies to develop diagnostics and treatments, and demographic research looking at the populations affected, allowing for improved system responses.

This report comes at a time when the future budget of the EU is being discussed and we can see that the proposals are moving away from the previous strong commitment to health, social affairs and research, and putting greater focus on defence and economic activities, under the scope of competitiveness.

Alzheimer Europe’s message for decision-makers at an EU and national level is clear: The number of people living with dementia will continue to grow over the coming decades. A failure to act now, to invest sufficiently in health, care and social protection systems, provide adequate support for research and implement strong preventative interventions, will exacerbate the challenges ahead.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Alzheimer Europe’s Executive Director, Jean Georges, stated:

“The scale of the challenge posed by dementia across Europe is substantial and it is our sincere hope that our updated figures provide the impetus for decision-makers, both at the European and national levels, to prioritise dementia and ensure it is addressed across the domains of health, research, disability policy and support for informal carers. 
In particular, policy-makers must work to improve care services, make investments in health infrastructure for diagnosis and treatment, as well as help for family, carers and supporters of people with dementia. As part of this, they must take into consideration the changing demographics of the population and the prevalence of conditions such as dementia. 
Our Helsinki Manifesto sets out a blueprint of actions, at the EU and national level, to improve the lives of people with dementia, their carers and families. 
We reiterate the key calls from our Helsinki Manifesto: There is a clear need for a coordinated European Action Plan on Dementia and a dedicated research mission, each with ringfenced funding to ensure their proper implementation.”

The full report can be accessed on the website of Alzheimer Europe at: https://bit.ly/DementiaPrevalenceEurope2025

Interactive maps and graphs for countries across Europe, visualising the prevalence from 2025 to 2050, are available at: https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/dementia/prevalence-dementia-europe  

For further information, contact: Jean Georges, Executive Director, Alzheimer Europe, 5B Heienhaff, L-1736 Senningerberg, Tel.: +352-29 79 70, Fax: +352-29 79 72, jean.georges@alzheimer-europe.org, www.alzheimer-europe.org

Notes to editors:

Alzheimer Europe is the umbrella organisation of national Alzheimer associations and currently has 41 member organisations in 36 European countries. The mission statement of the organisation is to change perceptions, practice and policy to ensure equal access of people with dementia to a high level of care services and treatment options.

The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025 report received funding under an operating grant from the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The Helsinki Manifesto was adopted at Alzheimer Europe’s Annual General Meeting on 16 October 2023, in Helsinki (Finland). It outlines the current position of dementia across Europe and lays the foundation for Alzheimer Europe’s campaigning activities from 2024-2029. The Manifesto is available at: https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/policy/campaign/alzheimer-europe-election-campaign-2024/helsinki-manifesto 
 

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