ISTANBUL

Germany's population declined last year for the first time since 2020, due to a widening gap between births and deaths and decreasing immigration, according to official preliminary data released on Thursday.

The country's population decreased by 100,000 people last year to 83.5 million, according to Destatis data.

In 2023 and 2024, the population increased by 340,000 and 100,000 respectively, due to significantly increased net migration.

As in all years since the reunification of Germany, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births in 2025. However, unlike previous years, the difference between births and deaths widened last year.

"The last population declines occurred between 2003 and 2010, as well as in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2011 and 2024, the population grew every year except for 2020," Destatis said in a statement.

For the first time since 2020, net migration could not close the gap between births and deaths, resulting in a decline in the population.

In Germany, it is estimated that between 640,000 and 670,000 births and slightly over 1 million deaths occurred last year. Thus, a birth gap (the difference between births and deaths) of between 340,000 and 360,000 is projected for 2025.

Last year's net migration is predicted to be between 220,000 and 260,000 people. Net migration to the country in 2024 was recorded as 430,183. It is noteworthy that net migration is expected to decrease by at least 40% compared to 2024.

Net migration remained at a similarly low level (220,251) in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average annual net migration from 1990 to 2024 was 356,000 people.