The Federal Statistical Office of Germany ("Destatis") has released preliminary demographic data for 2025, revealing a significant shift in the country's population trends. According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the population of Germany decreased by approximately 100,000 people last year, bringing the total to 83.5 million.
This marks the first decline in Germany's population since 2020. For comparison, the population had previously grown by 340,000 in 2023 and 100,000 in 2024, primarily driven by net migration. However, in 2025, a widening gap between birth and death rates, coupled with a substantial slowdown in migration inflows, reversed this growth trend into a deficit.
- Between 640,000 and 670,000 births were recorded in Germany last year, while deaths exceeded 1 million.
- The birth deficit—the gap where deaths outnumber births—was estimated to be between 340,000 and 360,000 people.
- Net migration fell by 40 percent compared to 2024, dropping to a level of approximately 220,000 to 260,000 people.
Experts warn that the German economy is facing a severe demographic crisis. The aging population and the retirement of the "baby boomer" generation are exacerbating a shortage of skilled labor in the workforce. While the German government has attempted to mitigate these effects through migration reforms and easier paths to citizenship, these measures remain among the most debated political topics in the country. Demographic shifts in major European economies like Germany are closely watched in Azerbaijan, as they impact global labor markets and economic stability across the continent.
