Researchers said they have noticed a particularly sharp downward trend in eastern Germany. A new report estimates almost 80,000 fewer children were born in 2022 and 2023 than would have been expected.
The Ifo Institute for Economic Research said in a new report released Wednesday that Germany is seeing a sharp decline in birth rates, with federal states in the east of the country the most affected.
Researchers at the leading economic think tank cited a number of reasons behind the declining birth rate, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, high inflation has prompted “young families to put off having children for the time being,” said Ifo researcher Joachim Ragnitz.
Pessimism is definitely part of it. Homeownership here in the US is at an all time low and I blame that too. When renting, you’re moving every few years and adding kids on top of that? Fuck that.
People are also more isolated and dating has never been more difficult for average people. Intimacy has been destroyed in our modern world
We have one of the worst rates of home ownership in DE, compared to the rest of EU: Page is in german but the graph is pretty much self-explanatory.
But that can’t be the sole reason, because the home ownership rates are actually better in the east than in the west. Hmm, during the Cold War, the former GDR actually had incredible child care. Even smaller companies were often required to have some sort of Kindergarten and other support for parents. Maybe this is still remembered by today’s potential parents, and - like someone said ITT - parents have it hard enough already.
Fun fact: This was explained to me (in High School…) because “the enemy” wanted to indoctrinate children at a very young age because communism… I didn’t even had to ask, that came immediately when the then GDR was discussed as part of the official curriculum.