has led to a slow decrease in amateur operator numbers in most industrialised countries due to attrition, but in countries which do not apply yearly licence fees, the effects are not immediately noticed. It has been estimated from German statistics, which are considered the most reliable, that the net decrease currently is in the order of 1 to 1.5% per year. The average age of most amateur radio operators is approaching 70 in most European countries.

Some national radio societies have responded to the aging ham population by developing