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Population growth in Offenbach and Darmstadt: A ray of hope!
Despite falling birth rates, Offenbach is experiencing population growth, boosted by immigration from other regions.
Population growth in Offenbach and Darmstadt: A ray of hope!
Although birth rates in Germany have been declining for years, the cities of Offenbach and Darmstadt are showing encouraging development. op-online.de reports that Offenbach am Main had reached a population of 132,746 at the end of 2024, which corresponds to growth of 0.7 percent. This increase is mainly due to a positive migration balance with 907 immigrants, while only 296 births were recorded. This shows that immigration from other regions contributes significantly to the city's dynamism.
The Offenbach district is also growing. With 358,022 inhabitants, it recorded growth of 0.4 percent, also despite a negative birth balance of 581 people. Here the migration gain is even more significant: 2,014 more members than emigrants.
Power of immigration
In Darmstadt the numbers are even more impressive. The science city now has 167,029 inhabitants and is enjoying growth of 1.3 percent, which is driven by a migration increase of 2,191 people. In the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, however, the situation looks somewhat different: there is a slight population decline of 0.1 percent, despite a migration gain of 661. The decline in births there amounts to 903 people.
A trend that is visible throughout the region. All cities and districts examined have positive migration balances that compensate for or even exceed the negative birth balances. This is largely due to the fact that many young adults are moving to cities, while older generations often stay in more rural areas.
Overall social development
As an analysis by destatis.de shows, 60 million people, or around 71 percent of the German population, already live in large cities and their surrounding areas. Since 2012, there has been an increase of 3.3 million people in metropolitan areas. In the rest of Germany, growth stagnated at 2.2 million people. An interesting aspect that helps to explain immigration is the difference in age structure: the average age is falling slightly in cities, while it continues to rise in rural areas.
In addition, it can be seen that in most large cities, immigration is a driving force for population growth, while birth rates are continuously declining. For example, the birth rate in Germany fell to 1.38 in 2023, the lowest value since 2013. The average age of mothers is now 31.7 years. These factors present cities with long-term challenges.
Nevertheless, the region around Offenbach and Darmstadt is well positioned. The combination of immigration and a surplus of births in cities is offset by a certain decline in rural areas. Instead of letting the demographic challenges get the best of us, the region is showing remarkable cohesion and adaptability.