Germany's population is shrinking again!
Data from Germany's Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday revealed that despite substantial immigration, the country's population decreased by approximately 110,000 in 2025 compared to the previous year — marking the first annual population decline since 2020.
Germany's net migration in 2025 amounted to 235,000, but this was insufficient to offset the gap between deaths and births. In 2025, deaths in Germany exceeded births by 352,000.
As of the end of 2025, Germany’s population stood at 83.5 million, representing a decrease of about 0.13% from the previous year.
The last time Germany experienced an annual population decline was in 2020, when strict travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop in immigration.
Last year, Germany also recorded its lowest-ever birth rate. Only three so-called urban federal states — Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg — saw population growth.
Population decline in eastern German states was significantly faster than in the west, with a drop of 0.5% and a net loss of 57,000 people. In contrast, western states saw a mere 0.1% decline, amounting to a net loss of 68,000 people. Eastern states have fewer immigrants, a group typically associated with higher fertility rates.
Meanwhile, the trend of population aging is accelerating. The number of people aged 60 to 79 continued to rise, increasing by 358,000 last year, as the so-called baby boomer generation entered retirement age. Meanwhile, the working-age population aged 20 to 59 — the primary tax contributors — declined at a rate far exceeding the average, shrinking by 1.0% or 409,000 people last year.
Source: DW
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868653386036240/
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