Births in Germany plunge to lowest level in post-war history

The number of babies born in Germany fell to the lowest level since the end of World War II last year, official figures showed.

The number of births fell for the fourth consecutive year to around 654,300 in 2025, 3.4% fewer than in the previous year, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office. 

At around 1.01 million, the number of deaths in 2025 exceeded the number of births by 352,000. 

This was the largest deficit of the post-war period, the Wiesbaden-based agency said, including during the Cold War, when the country was divided between West Germany, a member of NATO, and socialist East Germany. 

The drop in births can be explained by a demographic decline in the 1990s following reunification, the agency explained, with smaller generations now reaching their early 30s, when many people decide whether to have children. 

More than 35 years after reunification, the trend for births in Germany remained uneven, with the decline more pronounced in eastern regions at -4.5% to western states at -3.2%. 

The only one of Germany's 16 federal states to register a rise in births was Hamburg, where 0.5% more babies were born. 

Preliminary results showed other European countries also saw fewer newborns in 2025, including France, Austria, Italy and Sweden. 

In Spain, the Netherlands and Finland, however, the level appears to be stabilizing.