The German population decreased slightly at the end of last year, the first drop recorded since 2020, official figures showed on Tuesday.
The population had previously grown steadily since 2011, except in the year 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, the Federal Statistical Office noted.
But recently, net migration has been unable to offset the declining birth rate, the statisticians found.
In 2025, they recorded 352,000 more deaths than births. Meanwhile, net migration – the difference between people moving in and out of the country – fell significantly from a surplus of 430,000 to 235,000.
Population figures dropped most sharply in the states comprising the former East Germany, where they were down by 0.5%.
Numbers only increased in the city states of Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, where they were up between 0.4% and 0.3%.
The only age group to see an increase is that of 60- to 79-year-olds, which was up by 2.8%, as the baby boomers – those born during Germany’s post-war economic upturn – are entering this age group.
The number of foreign nationals grew by 0.3% in 2025, reaching 12.4 million by the end of the year and reflecting the lowest rate in 15 years, “both in relative and absolute terms,” the statistical office said in a statement.
In 2024, the number of foreign nationals had grown by 2.3%.
The proportion of foreign nationals in Germany varies depending on the age group. Among children and teenagers, it stands at 15.2%.
As in previous years, the largest foreign groups are Turkish nationals, at 1,385,000, followed by nationals from Ukraine (1,167,000), Syria (856,000), Romania (763,000) and Poland (700,000).
~dpa
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