In the vicinity of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, the municipalities of Lolland and Gulborgsund on the Danish side and Kreis Ostholstein on the German side have 317,400 inhabitants, accounting for 3.2 percent of the region’s population.

The composition of the population may well represent a future challenge in that the proportion of people aged 65 and over is expected to rise in Germany and Denmark.

Currently, the German part of the region has a slightly higher percentage of its population aged 65 and over (21%), compared with the Danish (16%) and Swedish (18%) parts. This proportion is expected to grow in the years to come. According to population projections, by 2040 the proportion of residents age 65 and over is expected to average 32% in the German part of the region, 25% in the Danish and 20% in the Swedish part.

In Germany, it is not just the age composition that represents a challenge. The projections assume a general fall in population numbers throughout the country so that, in 2050, the population will be between 68.5 and 75 million people compared to the current figure of 82.5 million.