About 17 million people in Europe live on islands.

Omissions

• The claim says 'Europe', while the official figure of 17 million refers to the European Union (16 Member States); the EU-wide scope excludes non-EU European islands, so a strict pan-European figure would be higher.
• The figure is based on European Commission / Eurostat-derived analysis of more than 4,000 inhabited EU islands and dates from the 2020-2026 policy cycle (EU Islands strategy presented 10 June 2026).

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — First-ever plans to unlock potential of EU islands and coastal communitiesSome 17 million people live on 4,000 islands across the EU, while 95 million people – one fifth of the EU population - live along EU coasts.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Inforegio, EU islandsThey are home to around 17 million people spanning across 16 Member States.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Islands of the European Union: analytical overview of EU islandsIt provides a comprehensive socio-economic assessment of more than 4000 EU inhabited islands home to around 17 million people in 16 Member States.