East Germany continues to shrink: where have the people gone?

East Germany continues to shrink: where have the people gone?

The demographic development in Germany is an exciting and at the same time worrying topic, especially in view of the difference between East and West Germany. Since reunification in 1990, the picture of population development has changed significantly. Almost three million people have moved out of the eastern German states Deutschlandfunk reported. While 14.8 million people still lived in East Germany in 1990, in 2024 there will only be around 12.4 million - a decline of 16 percent.

The migration mainly affects young people, who often move to the West in search of better living or working conditions. Within the first ten years after reunification, around half of those who emigrated emigrated, but there was a change between 2017 and 2022: For the first time, more people moved from the West to the East, specifically 18,000 people. Particularly noteworthy is the rapid population growth in cities like Leipzig, which has grown by an impressive 30 percent since 1995.

Demographic change in the East

The general cause of the demographic changes lies in the combination of declining birth rates, the emigration of young people and increasing life expectancy. In western Germany, immigration from abroad and immigration from the new federal states is slowing down aging, while in the east the population is continuously shrinking. Loud Destatis In 2022, more than five times as many people lived in West Germany as in the East.

The birth rate in East Germany experienced a dramatic decline after reunification, falling to 0.77 children per woman in 1994. However, this has stabilized somewhat since the 2010s, so that today the birth rate in the east is 1.56 children, slightly above the national average. Nevertheless, the proportion of people under 20 in the East has fallen from 25.5 percent in 1989 to just 15 percent in 2013, which signals a significant aging of the population Federal Agency for Civic Education describes.

Regarding the gender ratio, it can be seen that over 736,000 people under the age of 25 migrated, with more than half being women. This led to a surplus of young men in some regions. And while the birth rate in East Germany was below the West German level for a long time, the situation has now leveled off somewhat.

Economic perspectives and supply issues

Another important topic is the economic situation and medical care in the East. Although the health situation has improved, there is a risk of a shortage of skilled workers. Although the pressure on the East German labor market has reduced, the question remains as to how the region can ensure both medical and social care in the future. Medical care has improved greatly and mortality from cardiovascular disease, for example, has been reduced by more than a fifth.

In summary, it can be said that the demographic development in Germany, especially between East and West, is strongly influenced by migration, a decline in the birth rate and an aging society. The situation will remain exciting as the contrasts between the regions remain and the population as a whole is getting older.