German birth rate falls to its lowest since 1946

As the nation grapples with the difficulties of an aging population, official figures revealed on Tuesday that Germany’s birth rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1946.

According to statistics bureau Destatis, there were about 654,300 births in 2025 as opposed to 677,117 the year before, a decrease of about 3.4%.

The number of births had decreased for the fourth consecutive year.

Approximately 1.01 million more people died than were born. by 352,000 in 2025, the biggest “birth deficit” since the war period, according to the agency.

According to Destatis, the tendency is mostly due to two developments: the
The drop in the overall fertility rate since 2022 and the comparatively small number of individuals born in the 1990s currently reaching the age at which they are most likely to become parents.

The average number of children a woman is anticipated to have during her lifetime is determined by the total fertility rate.

In 2024, the most recent year for which data is available, around 19
Millions of Germans, or over 23% of the country’s total population, were 65 years of age or older.

Just 15% of people were over 65 in 1991.

A pensions commission appointed by the government is due to present its recommendations for reform on June 30.

When Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated last week that the state pension should only be viewed as a “basic provision” to be supplemented with other income, it sparked a backlash.

Unions and the center-left SPD, which is in a governing coalition with Merz’s conservatives, strongly condemned the remarks.

There will be “no cuts to statutory pensions” under the present administration, Merz later clarified.