Ageing population is ‘worrying’ say MPs

The ageing of the population as shown by the latest census is very worrying, MPs said on Tuesday after a meeting of the ad hoc committee on demographics.

Committee president, and Elam MP, Linos Papayiannis, said the preliminary 2021 population census showed that individuals under the age of 15 account for just 15.9 per cent of the population while those over the age of 65 account for 16.7 per cent.

“This means that we have a clear indication of an ageing population that will have adverse chain effect… unfortunately, it is very worrisome,” he said.

The committee’s deputy chairman and Disy MP Prodromos Alambrites echoed worries over the census findings and pointed out that the average size of a Cypriot household has dropped from four people in 1976 to 3.2 in 1992 and 2.6 in 2021.

Moreover, he said that the percentage of foreign nationals stands at 21.1 per cent of the total population but further analysis is expected on how this is broken down.

Finally, he called for the state to support families and new couples in creating their own family and finding ways to support births.

“We submitted suggestions to the committee concerning families with three or more children and have even included direct cash injections for every birth on top of the second child,” he said.