Germany’s fertility rate fell by 2 per cent in 2024 to an average of 1.35 children per woman, according to the Federal Statistical Office report released on Thursday.
A total of 677,117 children were born in 2024, marking a decrease of 15,872 births from the previous year.
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While still notable, the decline was less sharp than in 2022 and 2023, which saw drops of 8 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.
The fertility rate among women with German citizenship declined by 3 per cent to 1.23, its lowest level in nearly three decades.
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The last time it was this low was in 1996, when it stood at 1.22. Meanwhile, women with foreign citizenship had a higher fertility rate of 1.84, though this too reflected a 2 per cent decline from the previous year.
“The birth rate among foreign women has been falling almost continuously since 2017,” the office stated.
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The trend toward later parenthood also continued. In 2024, the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was 30.4 years, while fathers averaged 33.3 years.
A decade earlier, in 2015, the averages were 29.7 and 32.8 years, respectively.
Germany’s falling birth rate aligned with broader demographic trends across the European Union.
According to Eurostat data from 2023, fertility rates have declined in most EU member states, with the bloc’s average falling to 1.38 children per woman, down from 1.51 in 2013.
(Xinhua/NAN)
