Europe's population will continue to decline for decades even if birthrates improve significantly, researchers have calculated.

　　Trends towards smaller families and later motherhood mean that there are too few women of childbearing age to reverse the decline in the near future, according to an Austrian study.

　　At present 1.5 babies are born for every European Union woman, when two births are required for the population "replacement rate" to be maintained. Even if women started to have more children again, the tendency to population decline would continue for decades, as there will be fewer parents in the next generation than in this one.

　　The findings come from a study by Wolfgang Lutz, of the Austrian Academy of Science in Vienna, and Brian O'Neill, of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.

　　The authors said that the changing role of women was a significant factor in the projected population decline. Many were putting off having their first child to concentrate on their education or career.