Germany’s fertility rate dropped to 1.35 children per woman in 2024, marking its lowest level since 2006 and intensifying concerns over the country’s long-term demographic stability.
According to new data from the Federal Statistical Office, a total of 677,117 children were born in Germany last year, a decline of 15,872 compared to 2023. While the 2% drop is smaller than the steep declines of 8% in 2022 and 7% in 2023, the downward trend continues.
Among German citizens, the birth rate fell even further to 1.23 children per woman, the lowest since 1996. Foreign women living in Germany had a higher fertility rate at 1.84, but it too declined by 2%, continuing a pattern that has persisted since 2017.
The average age of mothers at childbirth in 2024 was 31.8 years, while fathers averaged 34.7 years. First-time mothers gave birth at 30.4 on average, with fathers at 33.3, a 2.9-year gap that has remained steady since 2021. Compared to 1991, the average parental age has increased by nearly four years.
Regional differences remain stark. Lower Saxony recorded the highest fertility rate at 1.42, while Berlin had the lowest at 1.21. Western Germany averaged 1.38, slightly ahead of Eastern Germany at 1.27.
Thuringia experienced the steepest annual decline, down 7% to 1.24, while Baden-Württemberg saw only a 1% drop, maintaining a rate of 1.39.
Longer-term data shows a shift toward later parenthood. Women born in 1975, who statistically completed their childbearing years in 2024, had an average of 1.58 children, an increase from the record low of 1.49 among those born in 1968.
EU-wide fertility figures for 2024 are still pending, but Germany’s 2023 rate matched the EU average of 1.38. At that time, Bulgaria had the highest fertility rate in the bloc at 1.81, while Malta (1.06) and Spain (1.12) had the lowest.