The number of newborns in Germany decreased in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year, reaching approximately 654,300, the lowest level since 1946 and 3.4% lower than the 677,117 children born in 2024, according to provisional data published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistics Office (Destatis), EFE and Agerpres inform.
Deaths – around 1.01 million – exceeded births by 352,000, representing the largest post-war birth deficit.
The low birth rate in recent years is mainly due to the numerically smaller generation born in the 1990s reaching the important fertile age in the early 30s and the decline in the overall birth rate starting in 2022.
The structure of births according to birth order remained stable in 2025. Thus, of the total number of children born, 46.6% were the first born, 34.8% were the second child, and 18.6% were the third or subsequent children in the mother's life.
According to the results of the 16th coordinated demographic projection, published last December, a future increase in the number of births in Germany would only be possible if there was a significant increase in the global birth rate and at least moderate net immigration.
However, even under these favorable conditions, the number of births is expected to remain below the relatively high level recorded in 2021, when it reached 795,000.
