1. Home
  2. Studies
  3. Fewer and Fewer Children Live in Germany and the EU
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 62 3. December 2020 Fewer and Fewer Children Live in Germany and the EU

In the 25 years between 1994 and 2019, the number of minors in Germany fell by 14.2 percent and in the EU-27 (excluding the United Kingdom) by 15.1 percent. However, the trends were very different.

Download PDF
Fewer and Fewer Children Live in Germany and the EU
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 62 3. December 2020

Fewer and Fewer Children Live in Germany and the EU

IW-Report

Download PDF

Share this article:

or copy the following link:

The link was added to your clipboard!

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

In the 25 years between 1994 and 2019, the number of minors in Germany fell by 14.2 percent and in the EU-27 (excluding the United Kingdom) by 15.1 percent. However, the trends were very different.

In Germany, the figures reached a low point in 2015 and since have risen again, whereas the numbers for the EU as a whole have continued to fall. Moreover, there are major differences between young children under the age of six, older children between six and eleven and juveniles between twelve and seventeen. The number of juveniles has fallen particularly sharply in the new EU member states. However, because of the high former level here, their share on the population in 2019 was with 6.0 percent still higher than in Germany with 5.4 percent. In Germany, the situation is also very unfavourable with respect to the older children, who make up 5.3 percent of the population. In contrast, with respect to the younger children, the country is with 5.6 percent close to the EU average of 5.8 percent and far above the value of Southern Europe of only 5.0 percent. The decisive factor for this better positioning is the increase in the birth rate in the years between 2008 and 2016, which, however, has not continued since then. For policymakers, the falling numbers of children mean that they must prepare for the fact that relatively few people will enter the workforce in the next years, and that they should make targeted provisions, including appropriate adjustments to the social security system and a promotion of immigration.

Download PDF
Fewer and Fewer Children Live in Germany and the EU
Wido Geis-Thöne IW-Report No. 62 3. December 2020

Wido Geis-Thöne: In Deutschland und der EU leben immer weniger Kinder – Eine Betrachtung der Entwicklungen der letzten 25 Jahre

IW-Report

Download PDF

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

Share this article:

or copy the following link:

The link was added to your clipboard!

More on the topic

Read the article
Delors Plan 2.0
Michael Hüther / Simon Gerards Iglesias / Melinda Fremerey / Sandra Parthie IW-Policy Paper No. 4 27. March 2023

Europe must take the dare to take the next step: Delors Plan 2.0

In the coming years, the world order of exchange and multilateralism, which has so far been shaped by the West, will lose power, and global institutions will find it increasingly difficult to fulfil their mission of balancing interests and promoting ...

IW

Read the article
Michael Hüther IW-Policy Paper No. 3 24. March 2023

This time is different but still risky: Banking crisis instead of financial crisis

The current crisis of some American and European banks inevitably triggers fears that an international banking crisis could lead to a new financial crisis. But things in 2023 are very different from those in 2007.

IW

More about this topic

Content element with id 8880 Content element with id 9713