Stuttgart in crisis: population continues to fall dramatically!

Stuttgart in crisis: population continues to fall dramatically!

The shrinking trend is becoming noticeable in Stuttgart. As of June 30, 2025, the city's population was 606,682, a decrease of 2,652 compared to the end of 2024. This is the fourth consecutive decline in the number of residents, with declines in the previous six months being between 300 and 500 people. The reasons for this negative development are complex, and the migration balance in particular plays a central role. According to Staatsanzeiger, 2,235 more people left the city than moved in. In the previous year, however, immigration had still developed positively.

The decline in immigration from abroad is particularly noticeable. For the first time since 2021, more people from Stuttgart moved abroad than immigrants came to the city. The immigration balance was minus 85, whereas the previous year there was a plus. Demographic factors are also contributing to the decline: there are 3,026 deaths for every 2,609 births. In addition, the proportion of foreigners in Stuttgart fell slightly to 28.3 percent, and the number of German citizens decreased by 906, while the foreign population decreased by 1,746. On the positive side, however, 1,756 people received German citizenship in the first half of the year - a significantly higher figure compared to the previous year.

Population trends in Europe

The developments in Stuttgart reflect larger trends observed in many European countries. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, immigration has had a significant impact on population growth in the EU since 1992. To be precise, between 2000 and 2016, immigration accounted for around 81.5 percent of the EU's population growth. The proportions vary considerably within Europe: in Austria, for example, immigration was responsible for 95.7 percent of population growth, while in France this proportion was much lower at 28.7 percent.

Germany, Italy and Portugal have seen their population grow through higher immigration than natural changes. In other countries such as Poland and Slovakia, the population is increasing due to natural increase despite a negative migration balance.

Data on migration in Europe

The rate of net migration is published by Eurostat and is broken down by country for 2023. This data, available via Statista, helps to better understand migration trends within the EU. The last publication took place on July 11, 2024, and the data is still relevant to this day.

The current development in Stuttgart provides insights into the challenges that the city administration must overcome. It remains to be seen how these trends will continue and what measures will be taken to guarantee the quality of life in the city and prevent further migration.