Germany’s population fell last year for the first time since 2020, due to a widening gap between births and deaths and a drop in immigration, according to preliminary official data released on Thursday, Anadolu reports.

According to official data from Destatis, the country’s population decreased by 100,000 people last year, reaching 83.5 million.

2023 and 2024, the population increased by 340,000 and 100,000 people, respectively, thanks to a significant increase in net migration.

As in all years since German reunification, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births in 2025. However, unlike in previous years, the gap between births and deaths widened last year.

“The latest population declines occurred between 2003 and 2010, as well as in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2011 and 2024, the population increased every year, except for 2020,” Destatis said.

For the first time since 2020, net migration failed to close the gap between births and deaths, resulting in a decline in population.

In Germany, it is estimated that last year there were between 640 thousand and 670 thousand births and slightly more than 1 million deaths. Thus, a gap between births and deaths of 340,000 to 360,000 is predicted for 2025.

Net migration last year is predicted to be between 220,000 and 260,000 people. Net migration to the country in 2024 was recorded at 430,183 people. It is noted that net migration is expected to decline by at least 40 percent compared to 2024.

Net migration remained at a similar low level (220,251) in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual average net migration from 1990 to 2024 was 356 thousand people.

Source: prizrenpost