Germany's birth rate has hit a new record low. According to the German Institute for Economic Research (Ifo), it now stands at 1.35 children per woman, compared with 1.58 children per woman in 2021.

The decline is even more pronounced in eastern Germany than in Germany's western states.

According to the German Federal Statistical Office, around 392,000 children were born in Germany between January and July 2024.

Compared to the same period in 2023, this represented 3% fewer babies.

These figures consolidate a downward trend that already characterized the years 2022 and 2023, in which 693,000 newborns were registered. A year prior, in 2021, 795,500 children were born in Germany.

In other words, in 2023, more than every eighth bed in a newborn ward remained empty in comparison with 2021.

Up until 2016, statisticians reported significantly lower numbers of newborns for Germany. In 2013, there were just over 682,000 newborns. In 2015, the number was only slightly higher with 737,000 babies.

In the following peak years between 2016 and 2021, however, more than nine newborns per 1,000 inhabitants were recorded.

In the meantime, this figure has dropped to just 8.2, which is even lower than 10 and 15 years ago.

Significant fluctuations with regard........

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