European population: Should EU countries be concerned about refugees?

Anti-immigrant rhetoric is surging in response to Europe's refugee crisis, after a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees currently in Greece and Italy, around the continent.

Hungary's foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has criticised the EU's quota to relocate refugees as an "unfeasible" waste of time, saying: "This is the beginning of a new world order; we are not talking about a refugee crisis, but about a wave of mass migration."

This contrasts countries like Germany, which has announced it will take up to one million refugees this year.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary all voted against taking refugees under EU plans. Their objections centre on anti-immigrant sentiment and "keeping Europe Christian".

But are such reactions sensible?

Three of the four objecting countries are projected to have decreasing populations over the next 65 years, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistics agency.

The Czech Republic - the only objecting country to see a population increase - will still only have a modest increase of 4.4 per cent by 2080.

Despite this, 94 per cent of Czechs say the EU should return refugees to where they came from.

Data indicates that there is a strong relationship between population density and economic growth, with immigration helping to bolster the working age population of countries.

The four countries' reactions differ to Germany's, whose population is also projected to face a decline - of 19 per cent over the next 65 years.

The country had the world's lowest birthrate between 2008 and 2013, and economists have warned of the impact on the country's economy - seen as one of the main reasons for its welcoming approach to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

However, countries such as Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, whose populations are also due to face similar challenges, are less keen to open their doors to refugees.

Luxembourg, Norway and Belgium are projected to have the largest increases in population between 2015 and 2080 - with increases of 129 per cent, 71 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.

Eastern European countries are among the countries facing the largest declines in population, with Lithuania's population projected to decrease by 37 per cent, Latvia's by 32 per cent and Bulgaria's by 32 per cent.

Gustav Gressel, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, has pointed out that Western Europe still struggles with anti-foreigner sentiment and with integrating immigrants.

However, unlike in Eastern Europe, established minority groups and organisations help advocate for them and assimilate them into society, helping to boost Western populations.

According to projections for 2080, the smallest population densities in Europe will be in Iceland, Finland and Latvia.

Just 4.5 people will live in each square kilometre of Iceland, with this number rising to 18.9 in Finland and 20.9 in Latvia.

Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg are predicted to have much higher population densities - of 1,524, 544.3 and 497.8 per square kilometre respectively.

The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have the next highest population densities. While the Netherlands' population is predicted to decrease in the next 65 years, the United Kingdom's is due to increase by 31.7 per cent.

Population is a key contributor to economic growth - with population decline potentially leading to labour shortages, high dependancy ratios and lower GDP growth.

It is why countries such as Germany are responding to the refugee crisis with the population projections in mind.

Olaf Kleist, of the Institute for Migration Research, told Bloomberg: "Germany's economic strength, a demographic decline and the need for labour all contribute to the welcoming of migrants including refugees."

Its willingness to take in working age refugees to help bolster its population and economy seems to differ significantly from eastern European countries, which still could face similar issues in the future.