According to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) Germany’s population grew slightly in 2024 despite a declining birth rate.

German population increased by 100.000 in 2024

As of December 2024, the population of Germany sat at 83,6 million, according to Destatis. This means the population has grown by around 100.000 people since the end of 2023.

As has been the case every year since German reunification in 1990, more people died in Germany in 2024 than were born. German registry offices report that between 670.000 and 690.000 babies were born in Germany in 2024, while one million people died.

This means that Germany saw a “birth deficit”, the difference between births and deaths, of between 310.000 and 330.000 people. However, these figures are an estimation based on data up to October 2024, the precise figures will be published in the near future.

The birthrate in Germany has been declining since 2015, but has “recently accelerated significantly,” according to a 2024 study by the ifo Institute in Dresden. 

The trend is not limited to the federal republic. In July 2024, a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) found that the birth rate in member countries, which includes Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK, has halved since the 1960s.

2024 population increase is down to immigration

Given Germany’s “birth deficit” the country’s 2024 population growth is down to net migration, the difference between the number of people moving to and the number of people leaving Germany.

In 2024, between 400.000 and 440.000 people arrived in Germany (these figures are also based on data up to October 2024), meaning net migration was 34 percent lower than in 2023.

A report recently published by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) underlined Germany’s urgent need for migrant labour. Changing demographics mean that 4,7 million working people are expected to leave the German labour market between 2024 and 2028, only worsening an existing shortage. “The German economy needs a significant influx of labour for long-term growth,” DIW economist Angelina Hackmann wrote told SPIEGEL.

According to figures published by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning in December 2024, it is Germany’s eastern states (excluding Berlin and Brandenburg) which are seeing the greatest population decline. Meanwhile, western cities, and particularly Munich, are seeing the greatest population growth.

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