Following a spike to 2.5 children per woman in the mid-1960s (during the second wave of the post-WWII baby boom), Germany's fertility rate then fell sharply to around 1.5 children per woman in the 1970s, and it has fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.6 children per woman ever since. Germany's fertility rate has been below the natural replacement level of roughly 2.1 children per woman since 1970, meaning that long-term natural population growth is unsustainable. In fact, Germany has experienced a natural population decline in every year since 1972, and its population has only grown or been sustained at its current level through high net immigration rates.Find more statistics on other topics about Germany with key insights such as crude birth rate, life expectancy of women at birth, and total life expectancy at birth.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany birth rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In Germany in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have 5.4 children over the course of their lifetime. It remained around this number until the late 1820s, when it then dropped to just under five, which was a long-term effect of the Napoleonic Period in Europe. From this point until the end of the nineteenth century, Germany's fertility rate was rather sporadic, reaching it's lowest point in 1855 with an average of 4.6 births per woman, and it's highest point in 1875 (just after the foundation of the German Empire in 1871), with an average of 5.4 live births per woman. From the beginning of the twentieth century until the end of the Second World War, Germany's fertility rate dropped from around 5 children per woman in 1900, to 1.9 in 1945. The only time where the fertility rate increased was in the inter-war years. Like other countries heavily involved in the Second World War, Germany (both East and West) experienced a Baby Boom from the late 1940s to the late 1960s, however it then dropped to it's lowest point of just 1.3 children per woman by 1995, shortly after the re-unification of Germany. In recent years, Germany's fertility rate has gradually been increasing again, and is expected to reach 1.6 in 2020, its highest rate in over forty years.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Germany DE: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.390 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.455 Ratio for 2022. Germany DE: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.425 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.540 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 1.240 Ratio in 1994. Germany DE: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics.;Weighted average;Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for Germany (SPDYNCBRTINDEU) from 1960 to 2023 about birth, crude, Germany, and rate.

Germany DE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 8.300 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.800 Ratio for 2022. Germany DE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 9.950 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.100 Ratio in 1963 and a record low of 8.100 Ratio in 2009. Germany DE: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Germany was reported at 8.3 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate Based Trend data was reported at 71,236.000 Person th in 2060. This records a decrease from the previous number of 71,533.000 Person th for 2059. Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate Based Trend data is updated yearly, averaging 78,472.000 Person th from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2060, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81,691.000 Person th in 2019 and a record low of 71,236.000 Person th in 2060. Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate Based Trend data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Statistics Office Germany. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G003: Population: Projection: Federal Statistics Office Germany.

The crude birth rate in Germany decreased to 8.3 live births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the previous year. The crude birth rate is the annual number of live births divided by the total population, expressed per 1,000 people.Find more statistics on other topics about Germany with key insights such as infant mortality rate, total life expectancy at birth, and life expectancy of women at birth.

Germany DE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 3.900 Ratio in 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3.900 Ratio for 2022. Germany DE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 Ratio from Dec 1968 (Median) to 2023, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.600 Ratio in 1968 and a record low of 3.900 Ratio in 2023. Germany DE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, male is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn male baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to male age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. This is a sex-disaggregated indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 3.2.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Germany DE: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 5.473 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.577 Ratio for 2022. Germany DE: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 17.937 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.399 Ratio in 1969 and a record low of 5.473 Ratio in 2023. Germany DE: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.;United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Combined birth rates (per woman): Germany,Years, Ages

For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.

This dataset is about countries per year in Germany. It has 64 rows. It features 4 columns: country, access to electricity, and birth rate.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the data for the New Germany, MN population pyramid, which represents the New Germany population distribution across age and gender, using estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 5-Year Estimates. It lists the male and female population for each age group, along with the total population for those age groups. Higher numbers at the bottom of the table suggest population growth, whereas higher numbers at the top indicate declining birth rates. Furthermore, the dataset can be utilized to understand the youth dependency ratio, old-age dependency ratio, total dependency ratio, and potential support ratio.

Key observations

• Youth dependency ratio, which is the number of children aged 0-14 per 100 persons aged 15-64, for New Germany, MN, is 37.8.
• Old-age dependency ratio, which is the number of persons aged 65 or over per 100 persons aged 15-64, for New Germany, MN, is 8.8.
• Total dependency ratio for New Germany, MN is 46.6.
• Potential support ratio, which is the number of youth (working age population) per elderly, for New Germany, MN is 11.4.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 5-Year Estimates.

Age groups:

• Under 5 years
• 5 to 9 years
• 10 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 24 years
• 25 to 29 years
• 30 to 34 years
• 35 to 39 years
• 40 to 44 years
• 45 to 49 years
• 50 to 54 years
• 55 to 59 years
• 60 to 64 years
• 65 to 69 years
• 70 to 74 years
• 75 to 79 years
• 80 to 84 years
• 85 years and over

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age group for the New Germany population analysis. Total expected values are 18 and are define above in the age groups section.
• Population (Male): The male population in the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Population (Female): The female population in the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Total Population: The total population of the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for New Germany Population by Age. You can refer the same here

Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate & Life Expectancy Trend data was reported at 72,876.000 Person th in 2060. This records a decrease from the previous number of 73,149.000 Person th for 2059. Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate & Life Expectancy Trend data is updated yearly, averaging 79,151.000 Person th from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2060, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81,756.000 Person th in 2019 and a record low of 72,876.000 Person th in 2060. Germany FSO Projection: Population: High Birth Rate & Life Expectancy Trend data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Statistics Office Germany. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G003: Population: Projection: Federal Statistics Office Germany.

In 2023, there were around 693,019 births and roughly 1.03 million deaths in Germany. The number of births was a decrease from the previous years whilst the number of deaths, an increase.

Germany DE: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data was reported at 1.530 Person in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.520 Person for 2020. Germany DE: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.365 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.590 Person in 2016 and a record low of 1.250 Person in 1995. Germany DE: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: OECD Member: Annual.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the population of New Germany by gender, including both male and female populations. This dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of New Germany across both sexes and to determine which sex constitutes the majority.

Key observations

There is a majority of male population, with 53.01% of total population being male. Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.

Scope of gender :

Please note that American Community Survey asks a question about the respondents current sex, but not about gender, sexual orientation, or sex at birth. The question is intended to capture data for biological sex, not gender. Respondents are supposed to respond with the answer as either of Male or Female. Our research and this dataset mirrors the data reported as Male and Female for gender distribution analysis. No further analysis is done on the data reported from the Census Bureau.

Variables / Data Columns

• Gender: This column displays the Gender (Male / Female)
• Population: The population of the gender in the New Germany is shown in this column.
• % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each gender as a proportion of New Germany total population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for New Germany Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here