The birth rate in Germany last year fell to its lowest level since 1997. As the Federal Statistical Office reported, the “total fertility rate” was only 1.32 children - 2.7 percent lower than in 2024. Thus, for the fourth consecutive year, the negative trend in birth rates continues.
It was even lower in the mid-1990s - 1.24 children per woman, the public media ARD specifies. Those born then make up the relatively small generation of potential parents today. This also partly explains today's low birth rate: according to statisticians, only 654,241 children were born in Germany in 2025.
The "total fertility rate" shows how many children a woman would have in her lifetime if her behavior regarding childbirth corresponded to that of all women aged 15 to 49 in the year in question, the publication explains.
Only Hamburg has a higher birth rate
There are large differences at the regional level. For example, last year the birth rate ranged between 1.16 children per woman (in Saxony) and 1.38 children per woman (in Lower Saxony). In fact, since 2018, Lower Saxony has been the federal state with the highest birth rate in Germany. However, the indicator also fell below 1.40 for the first time in 16 years.
, where it was 1.34. Compared to the previous year, the total fertility rate in 2025 fell in all federal states, with the exception of Hamburg - there it increased by 0.4 percent to 1.24 children per woman. The largest drop was recorded in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - minus 6.3 percent, to 1.21 children per woman, according to data from the Statistical Office.
Women with foreign citizenship also give birth less
The fertility rate for women with German citizenship fell in 2025 to 1.20 children. Such a low value was last recorded almost 30 years ago (in 1996 it was measured at 1.22 children per woman).
For women with other citizenship, the coefficient is 1.78 children, but it fell by 3.3 percent compared to the previous year (1.84). “The birth rate among women with foreign citizenship has been continuously decreasing since 2017, with the exception of 2021“, it is also clear from the data of the statisticians cited by the ARD.
Expert: Crises affect family planning
According to the Federal Service, the birth rate has been continuously decreasing since 2022. "This is due to the many crises that cause people to be insecure," Martin Buyar, scientific director at the Federal Institute for Demographic Research, told the newspaper Die Welt. From wars to economic problems to the climate crisis: all of this leads to postponement of family planning.
"The consequences will become apparent in about 20 years, when a generation enters the labor market that is one third smaller than the generation of the parents," he says, adding that this will have a very serious impact on social systems.
According to the expert, politicians must take action, for example in terms of housing or childcare. But society must also make its contribution: "We need an optimistic perspective on the future. We need to break away from the attitude that we are living in times of crisis, because we still live in a fairly prosperous society," Buyar points out.