MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS IN GERMANY REACH LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 2013

Sat 04 May 2024:

Germany had about 693,000 births in 2023—the lowest since 2013—according to data released on Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

Destatis released numbers that showed a 6.2 percent decrease in the same number from the prior year.

In the meantime, the percentage of births to first children has fallen while the percentage of births to third and more children has climbed. According to Destatis, the development can be attributed to the rise in foreign-born moms who often have three or more children.

Marriages are also on the decline

The number of marriages in 2023 also fell by 7.6% from the previous year to about 361,000. In 2022, 390,743 couples got married in Germany.

According to the figures, this was the second-lowest number of marriages since records began in 1950. Only 2021 saw fewer marriages with 357,785. That year was severely impacted by restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of marriages in eastern Germany also fell more sharply than in western Germany, dropping 9.1% from 56,971 in 2022 to around 51,800 in 2023. In western Germany, the number fell by 7.4% from 321,431 to about 297,700.

Of the 361,000 marriages nationwide, about 351,800 were between a man and a woman and 9,200 were between same-sex partners.

Germany’s population increased slightly to around 84.7 million by the end of 2023, mainly driven by immigration, according to official figures.

The Europe’s largest economy is grappling with a growing shortage of skilled workers, making it heavily dependent on labor immigration. Germany amended its immigration law last year, streamlining the process for professionals to enter and stay in the country.

“Germany is aging enormously,” the German Economic Institute warned on Thursday. In the next few years, a considerably larger number of individuals will reach retirement age compared to younger individuals entering the labor market.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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