Germany saw a continuous decline in its total fertility rate in 2025, with the combined birth rate registering at 1.32 children per woman-a 2.7 percent drop from the previous year (1.35 children per woman). According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this figure continues the downward trend observed since 2022. This rate is comparable to the low levels recorded nearly two decades ago in 2006 (1.33 children per woman). The lowest rate was recorded in the mid-1990s, at 1.24 children per woman, a period when the resulting generation formed the current relatively small pool of potential parents. Reflecting this trend, the total number of births fell to its lowest point since the post-war era in 2025, with 654,241 children being born across Germany.
Nationally, the fertility rate varied across the states. The lowest combined birth rate was 1.16 children per woman in Saxony, while the highest was 1.38 in Lower Saxony. Although Lower Saxony has maintained the highest birth frequency since 2018, its rate also fell for the first time in 16 years, dipping below 1.40 (it was 1.38 in 2009).
Geographically, the eastern states had a lower fertility rate (1.22 children per woman) compared to the western states (1.34 children per woman), with 1.30 children per woman recorded in Brandenburg as the highest figure in East Germany. On a federal level, the combined fertility rate declined in all states in 2025, except for Hamburg, which saw a slight increase (up 0.4 percent to 1.24 children per woman). Mecklenburg-Vorpommern experienced the sharpest decrease, dropping by 6.3 percent to 1.21 children per woman.
When analyzing demographic groups, the total fertility rate for women of German citizenship fell to 1.20 children per woman in 2025, a level not seen in almost 30 years (1.22 in 1996). This figure dropped 2.8 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, the fertility rate for women of foreign nationality was 1.78 children per woman, a 3.3 percent decrease from the previous year (1.84 children per woman). The fertility rate among foreign women has been steadily declining since 2017, with the exception of 2021.
Statistical analysis by birth cohort also offers insights. The final child count for women born in 1976-who reached the end of the statistically defined fertile age at age 49 in 2025-was an average of 1.58 children. For women born in the 1960s, the final child count has steadily decreased, hitting a historical minimum of 1.49 children per woman for the 1968 cohort. While women born from the mid-to-late 1970s to the early 1980s tend to have children later in life than the late 1960s cohorts, their estimated final child count is somewhat higher, around 1.6 children per woman. If the declining birth trend seen since 2022 persists, it is expected to result in lower final child counts for women in the 1980s and 1990s.
Regarding family dynamics, in 2025, mothers were, on average, 31.9 years old and fathers 34.8 years old when having a child, whether it was the first or a subsequent one. The average age of parents at the time of childbirth increased slightly by 0.1 year for both mothers and fathers compared to the previous year. Overall, between 1991 and 2025, the average age of mothers increased by 4.0 years (from 27.9 years in 1991), while for fathers, it rose by 3.8 years (from 31.0 years in 1991). Specifically, the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was 30.5 years, and fathers were 33.3 years old. The age gap between parents at the time of the first child has shrunk from 3.2 years in 2015 to 2.8 years in 2025.
The number of stillborn infants was only marginally lower in 2025, at 2,857, compared to 2,900 in 2024. The stillbirth rate, calculated as the number of stillborn children per 1,000 live and stillborn births, was 4.3. This rate remained stable since 2021, barring a slight increase to 4.4 in 2022. The stillbirth rate was higher among foreign women (4.9) than among German women (4.1). Interestingly, mothers who lost a child were 0.5 years older (32.4 years) than mothers of live births (31.9 years).
Comparing these figures internationally, data from Eurostat for 2024 indicated that the total fertility rate across the European Union (EU) was 1.34 children per woman, placing Germany in the middle range of the EU. Bulgaria recorded the highest fertility rate in the EU at 1.72 children per woman, while Malta had the lowest at 1.01 children per woman. Between 2019 and 2024, the total fertility rate declined by 12 percent in both the EU average and Germany. This decline was particularly severe in several Eastern European countries, including Estonia, which saw a 29 percent drop, and Poland and Romania, both experiencing a 21 percent decrease. Sweden also recorded an above-average decline of 16 percent.
