EZA 930 Report: GERMANY Demographics
01 February 2010
Number of births reaches record low in 2009, temporary increase in coming years
- In its 21Jan press release the Federal Statistical Office of Germany estimated that in 2009 the number of births in Germany fell to a post-war low of around 650 thousand; half the number born in the peak year 1965.
- Total German population declined by around 250k (0.3%) in 2009. It now stands at about 1% below its 2002 peak level.
- But the longer term picture shows that both the level and the rate of German population decline seem to be faster than earlier projections.
- This will have significant economic and political consequences, e.g. a smaller workforce, lower pensions, lower savings.
- The political response to the challenge - raising the pension age and improving the scope for women to combine families with jobs - has been insufficient and contradictory.
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