Overview
- Destatis, which released its update Monday, reported that 8.3 million people were aged 15–24 at the end of 2025, representing 10.0% of Germany’s population and matching a low level seen since the early 2020s.
- People with an immigration background account for a larger share of young people, with 12.2% aged 15–24 and about 20.4% of children whose both parents are immigrants in that age group.
- Regional differences are marked: Bremen (11.1%), Hamburg (10.5%) and Baden‑Württemberg (10.4%) recorded the highest shares while Brandenburg (8.8%), Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern (9.1%) and Saxony‑Anhalt (9.1%) had the lowest.
- Germany’s 10.0% youth share sits slightly below the EU average of 10.7% reported by Eurostat for early 2025 and well under the 16.7% peak recorded in 1983 during the baby‑boomer generation.
- The statistics are based on population revisions tied to the 2011 and 2022 censuses and microcensus sampling of about 1% annually, which affects year‑to‑year comparability and underlines that long‑term trends such as low birth rates and ageing cohorts are driving the shift.