1.5 children per woman Highest birth rate in 33 years

Birth rate in Germany for the first time in 33 years at 1.5 children per woman
The birth rate in Germany has risen for the first time since 1982 to 1.5 children per woman. The average age of the mothers at birth was 31 years last year.

1.5 children per woman
For the first time in 33 years, the birth rate in Germany has increased again to 1.5 children per woman. "According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), a similar high value was last demonstrated in 1982 for the territory of present-day Germany with 1.51 children per woman," states a statement. "The positive development that has been observed since 2012 continued," the Office continued. In 2014, the birth rate was 1.47.

The birth rate in Germany has risen again to 1.5 children per woman for the first time in 33 years. The number increased mainly because of women with foreign citizenship. (Image: bevisphoto / fotolia.com)

Increase especially for women of foreign nationality
However, the increase in 2015 was only half as strong as in the previous year. Especially among women of German nationality, the birth rate increased only slightly from 1.42 children per woman in 2014 to 1.43 children per woman in 2015.

"For women of foreign nationality, on the other hand, it rose significantly from 1.86 to 1.95 children per woman, contributing significantly to the increase in the combined fertility rate of all women," write the experts.

Furthermore, the Federal Office recently reported that the share of cesarean births was slightly declining. Possibly, a trend reversal is emerging here, which again leads to a higher proportion of natural births, as experts have long been calling for.

In two federal states, the birth rate has dropped
In two federal states (Brandenburg and Lower Saxony) the birth rate in 2015 has "fallen slightly". It remained unchanged in Berlin and increased in the remaining 13 countries. In the eastern German states, with 1.56 children per woman, it was higher than in western Germany (1.50).

The country with the highest combined birth rate of 1.59 children per woman was therefore Saxony. The lowest birth rate of 1.38 children per woman showed the Saarland.

Average age of mothers was 31 years
As the Federal Statistical Office further reports, the average age of mothers at the age of 31 was just one month less at the age of 31 than in 2014. According to Destatis, the mothers of the first-born were on average 29 years old and 7 months old in 2015. In the second and third child, the mothers were just 32 or 33 years old. (Ad)