Germany’s Numbers Increase But Birthrate Remains Poor

25.07.2019

The population of Germany has reached 81-plus million, close to the record high of 82 million in 1998. Despite the fact that there are more deaths than births, selective migration from Eastern Europe more than compensates and the final count was an increase of 2017. Still sensitive about the “open doors” decision of Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015 when over a million asylum seekers flooded in from the Middle East, the government relies on skilled workers from low-pay countries like Bulgaria to satisfy the urgent needs of industry. Encouraged by various financial offers, the native birthrate has improved from 1.3 to 1.6 over the past ten years but is still well below the minimal 2.1 per woman. Projections of the future population show an annual decline.