Newly released figures from the German government have revealed that in 2021, the number of young people living in the country sank to a new all-time low for the sixth consecutive year, with notable disparities existing between the eastern and western states.
The figures, published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, July 25th, revealed that a total of 8.3 million people aged 15 to 24 were living in Germany at the end of 2021, comprising a mere 9.8% of the population. The number of people in this age group is thus smaller—both in absolute terms and proportionally—than at any time since the census began in 1950, Tagesschau reports.
The proportion of young people living in Germany, after peaking at 16.7% in the early 1980s, has continuously fallen since 2005, with the exception of 2015 as a result of the drastic population uptick due to the migrant crisis.
Also in its press release, the statistical office notes considerable differences in the proportionality of young people living in eastern and western states. The former East German state of Brandenburg recorded the lowest figure, at 8.0%, and was followed by the former East German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, both of which recorded 8.3%.
On the other hand, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the smallest federal state which happens to be situated in the western part of the country, recorded the highest proportion in this age group, at 11%. It was followed by the former West German states of Baden-Wüttermberg (10.6%) and North Rhine-Westphalia (10.5%).
With respect to its proportion of young people aged 15 to 24, Germany—in comparison to other countries in the European Union—is slightly below average. Per figures from Eurostat, the bloc’s official statistical agency, the EU-wide average stands at 10.6%, with Ireland boasting the highest proportion, at 12.6%, followed by Denmark and Cyprus with 12% each. Conversely, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria have the lowest share of youths in this age group, at just 9.0% each.
The figures are a stark reminder of the demographic cliff that Germany and the rest of Europe continue to race towards. As The European Conservative has previously reported, births in Spain in 2021, for the eighth consecutive year, dropped to their lowest levels since the government began recording figures 80 years ago.
