census
Germany’s population is growing – immigration is decreasing
The population in Germany has grown. (Symbolic image) photo
© Marijan Murat/dpa
Once again, more people died in Germany last year than were born. The high level of immigration to Germany is also decreasing. Nevertheless, the population is growing.
Despite lower immigration According to an estimate by the Federal Statistical Office, Germany’s population is growing. In total, at least 84.7 million people lived in this country at the turn of the year, as the Wiesbaden authorities announced.
According to Destatis, the so-called net immigration – the balance of inflows and outflows – was also the sole cause of population growth in 2023. “As in all years since German unification, the balance of births and deaths was negative in 2023, as again more people died than were born,” explained the experts.
It is estimated that 680,000 to 710,000 more people came to Germany than left abroad. Compared to the years with particularly high immigration of refugees in 2015 (net 1.14 million) and 2022 (1.46 million), immigration in 2023 was significantly lower.
In the long-term context, however, according to Destatis, it was at a high level and comparable only to the years 1991 (603,000) and 1992 (782,000), “when many late repatriates from the former Soviet Union and war refugees from the former Yugoslavia came to Germany.”
At the same time, the number of births and deaths have also decreased. Based on the reports already available from the registry offices, the number of births fell by around seven percent from 2022 to 2023, so that “680,000 to 700,000 births can be expected,” as the Federal Statistical Office further said (2022: 738,819). The number of people who died fell by around four percent to around 1.02 million (2022: 1.07 million).
Birth deficit of at least 320,000
The estimate of births and deaths results in a birth deficit (difference between births and deaths) of at least 320,000. This corresponds roughly to the level of the previous year (328,000) and is significantly higher than in the entire period from 1991 to 2021.
“As in 2022, immigration in 2023 was very high in a long-term comparison. The increases in population are explained by the above-average immigration,” commented Sebastian Klüsener from the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in response to a dpa query on the development.
The aging process is also continuing: Baby boomers – members of baby boomers – are reaching retirement age. “This means that the social security systems, the labor market and all of us will face challenges in the next 10 to 15 years.” According to Klüsener, the birth rate has a dampening effect on population development. In Germany, however, birth rates are currently falling less sharply than is the case in many other Western European countries.