Overview
- Provisional figures from the state statistics office count 8,385 babies in 2025, the lowest total since records began in 1960.
- The new low falls below the previous nadir in 1994, when 8,934 births followed the post-reunification slump.
- Births have declined each year since 2017, slipping under 10,000 in 2023 and reaching 9,157 in 2024.
- Reporters cite a cohort effect as a key driver, since many potential parents were never born during the early‑1990s downturn linked to economic uncertainty and the outmigration of young women.
- The earlier bust reshaped schools with surplus teachers and more part-time posts, hinting that today’s slide could again force service cuts, staffing shifts, and new planning choices.