The European Union will have a population of 499.7 million at the start of 2009, the EU's statistics bureau Eurostat said Monday.



In total, the EU population is estimated to have increased by 2.2 million in 2008, Eurostat said.



Live births in the EU are estimated to have reached 5.4 million in 2008, corresponding to a crude birth rate of 10.8 per 1,000 inhabitants.



The highest birth rates are estimated for Ireland, Britain and France, with 18.1, 13.0 and 12.9 per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively. And the lowest rates are predicted in Germany, Maltaand Austria, with 8.3, 9.2 and 9.2 per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively.



It is estimated that there have been 4.8 million deaths in the EU in 2008, corresponding to a crude death rate of 9.7 per 1,000 inhabitants.



Eight EU member states have a negative natural growth, with the largest falls in Bulgaria, Latvia and Hungary.



The population is expected to have increased in 20 member states and decreased in seven, with considerable variations between member states, according to Eurostat.



Source:Xinhua