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Elder Lister
People take part in a protest against the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and in support of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany, Feb 25, 2023. [Photo/Agencies]
WORLD
Births In Germany Fall To 10-Year Low In 2013
By
AGENCIES
BERLIN, May 3 (Xinhua) — Around 693,000 children were born in Germany in 2023, the lowest level since 2013, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on Thursday.
The number also marked a 6.2 percent drop compared to the previous year, according to figures published by Destatis.
Meanwhile, the proportion of births to third and more children has increased while the proportion of births to first children has fallen. Destatis attributed the trend to an increasing number of mothers with a foreign nationality who tend to have three or more children.
In addition, the number of marriages in Germany hit the second-lowest level since records began in 1950, with around 361,000 couples getting married in 2023, a decline of 7.6 percent from the previous year, according to Destatis.
Germany’s population increased slightly to around 84.7 million by the end of 2023, mainly driven by immigration, according to official figures.
The Europe’s largest economy is grappling with a growing shortage of skilled workers, making it heavily dependent on labor immigration. Germany amended its immigration law last year, streamlining the process for professionals to enter and stay in the country.
“Germany is aging enormously,” the German Economic Institute warned on Thursday. In the next few years, a considerably larger number of individuals will reach retirement age compared to younger individuals entering the labor market.
