The average number of persons per household in EU-15 declined from 2.8 in 1981 to 2.4 in 2002 (UN, 2006). Most of the single person or single parent households are located in urban areas. Families with children tend to move out or are pushed out of highly urbanized areas and into new sub­urban areas (exurbia), but this does not change their need for services such as schools, sports facilities, etc. Rural areas, with shrinking populations cannot readily sustain such ser­vices. The general phenomenon of smaller household sizes has a number of direct implications in the structure of the markets that are being served by the food industries: pack­aged food needs to come in smaller quantities, demand for convenience food grows because singles usually spend little time preparing food, the number of food-catering services tends to go up (Leijten, 2006).
     In Europe and North America, 20% of the population is already aged 60 years or over. That figure, with regional differences, is projected to reach 33% in 2050. In 2025, the fertility rate per woman is projected to be higher in the USA (2.18) than in Western Europe (1.62) and Eastern Europe (1.51) (Eberstadt, 2007; US Census Bureau, 2007) (Table 5-4).
     In developed countries as a whole, the number of older persons (persons aged 60 or over) has already surpassed the number of children (persons under age 15) and by 2050 the number of older persons is expected to be more than double the number of children in developed countries (UN, 2006). The populations of 46 countries or areas, including Ger­many, Italy, most of the successor States of the former USSR and several small island States are expected to be smaller in 2050 than in 2005 (UN, 2006).
     The contribution of international migration to popula­tion growth in the more developed regions has increased in significance as fertility declines. During 2005-2050, the net number of international migrants to more developed regions is projected to be 103 million, a figure that counterbalances the excess of deaths over births (74 million) projected overthe period. In 2005-2010, the net migration more than doubled

the contribution of natural increase (births minus deaths) to population growth in eight countries or areas, namely, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong (China SAR), Luxembourg, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Net migration counterbalanced the excess of deaths over births in eight other countries viz. Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Channel Islands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia and Slo­venia. In terms of annual averages for 2005-2050, the major net receivers of international migrants are projected to be the United States (1.1 million), Canada (200,000), Germany (150,000), Italy (139,000), the United Kingdom (130,000), Spain (123,000) and Australia (100,000). The countries with the highest levels of net emigration (annual averages) are projected to be China (-329,000), Mexico (-306,000), India (-241,000), Philippines (-180,000), Pakistan (-167,000) and Indonesia (-164,000) (UN, 2006).
     In the future, the NAE region will be concerned with food demand from its own population (Tables 5-5 and 5-6) and the needs of the rest of the world, especially the less developed countries. It remains to be seen how NAE will re­spond to the need to feed the growing populations of Africa and Asia and the need to ensure environmental sustainabil-ity in these regions.
Table 5-4. Projected total fertility rates per woman in 2015.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2007.