Population decline in Niedereschach: there is a risk of losing millions!

Population decline in Niedereschach: there is a risk of losing millions!

The 2022 census has revealed new, unpleasant figures for some communities in Germany. The municipality of Niedereschach is particularly affected, which according to the results has 235 fewer residents than previously assumed. Black Forest messenger reports that head of the department Jürgen Lauer told the local council that practically 200 residents are directly affected by this loss. The financial consequences are already clear: a deterioration of around 200,000 euros is expected for the 2025 budget.

However, the situation is not only threatening for Niedereschach. The municipality has objected to the census results and joined forces with other municipalities. Almost three quarters of the affected communities have taken legal action to verify the new results. However, hopes for a positive turnaround could quickly fade, as the new census figures will be fully taken into account from the 2026 budget. This means a further deterioration of almost 500,000 euros in the budget, and in the long term losses of several million euros are even expected.

Look at the big numbers

But how do the numbers from Niedereschach behave on a larger scale? On the census reference date, May 15, 2022, around 82.7 million people lived in Germany. Compared to the 2011 census, the population has grown by 2.5 million since then, but 1.4 million fewer residents were registered than previously assumed. This presents itself as a national variation of 1.6% according to census data. Census2022 has found the largest deviations in metropolises such as Berlin, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which here even amount to up to 3.5%.

In contrast, some cities, such as Bremen with +1.9% or Saarland with +1.8%, show a positive non-expectation. In Cologne, on the other hand, the decline of -5.9% was the strongest among the ten largest cities. This massive deviation underlines that not only small communities but also large cities suffer from an incorrect picture of population numbers.

Recalculations and the long-term effects

The new figures also require a recalculation of the previous population statistics. Destatis has published a revision of the population figures. These adjustments show that the population will fall by around 1.3 million people from the previous 84 million to 82.7 million as of May 15, 2022. The impact of this recalculation will be even more noticeable starting next year, as the statistics will then be based exclusively on the new census data.

It remains to be seen how the legal action taken by the affected communities will turn out and whether the numbers will change in their favor. The coming months will be crucial in measuring and possibly counteracting the financial cuts. However, one thing is certain: the consequences of the 2022 census will be an issue among local councils and the population for a long time to come.