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.
It might just be my personal experience, but I am German and my personal birth rate has been steady all my life.
To add anything of substance here, there’s a good ol Kurzgesagt video on this. TLDW: Global phenomenon, hard to predict, just investing more money on parents and their needs has been tried and did not really work. Governments should still try to ease the burden of new parents because Jesus Christ they have it hard enough.
Somewhere else I heard that maybe our pessimistic look at the future is to blame and we should try to spread optimism more (or lay the foundation for a better future so people can actually be optimistic), but that’s less well researched. Not least because optimism isn’t easily quantifiable.
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.