Berlin, July 22 – Germany is facing a growing demographic challenge that could have long-term implications on its social structure and economic stability. The country's total fertility rate declined to 1.35 children per woman in 2024—the lowest level in over two decades—according to newly released data.

A total of 677,117 births were recorded in 2024, marking a decline of 15,872 from the previous year, or a 2% drop. While this decrease is slightly less severe than the 8% and 7% drops recorded in 2022 and 2023 respectively, the trend remains worrying for policymakers and demographers.

The fall in birth rates is not uniform across the country. Eastern Germany's Thuringia state experienced the steepest decline, with fertility rates falling 7% to just 1.24. In contrast, Baden-Württemberg in the southwest saw only a 1% drop, with its fertility rate at 1.39. These disparities reflect broader socio-economic inequalities across Germany’s regions.

In 2024, the average age of mothers at childbirth stood at 31.8 years, and fathers at 34.7 years—both figures unchanged since 2021. First-time parents are also getting older, with women giving birth to their first child at an average age of 30.4 and men at 33.3.

Experts point to a complex set of factors contributing to the declining fertility rate, including the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflationary pressures, and growing concerns over climate change—all of which have shifted personal priorities and family planning decisions.

Research also highlights a sharp 17.5% decline in birth rates in eastern Germany, attributed to a shrinking population of women aged 27–36 and migration to western regions in search of better employment opportunities.

Policymakers are now under pressure to reverse the downward trend. Demographers believe that improvements in childcare infrastructure, generous parental leave policies, and flexible working conditions could encourage more couples to start families.

However, the economic burden of raising multiple children remains a key concern. A recent survey found that one in four families with three or more children experiences financial hardship. While the European average fertility rate is currently 1.38, close to Germany’s, the pace and impact of decline in Germany has prompted growing urgency among government and social planners to address the issue.

New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Japan has slipped to the world's fourth-largest economy as it fell behind the size of Germany's in 2023, says Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities.

Japan's nominal GDP totalled $4.2 trillion last year, or about 591 trillion yen. Germany's, announced last month, was $4.4 trillion, or $4.5 trillion, depending on the currency conversion, he added.

For the latest October-December quarter, the Japanese economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.4 per cent, and minus 0.1 per cent from the previous quarter, according to Cabinet Office data on real GDP. For the year, real GDP grew 1.9 per cent from the previous year, he said.

This follows a 3.3 per cent contraction in the third quarter. Two consecutive quarters of contraction are widely considered a technical recession, he added.

Japan has unexpectedly fallen into a recession after its economy shrank for two quarters in a row, BBC reported.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by a worse-than-expected 0.4% in the last three months of 2023, compared to a year earlier.

It came after the economy shrank by 3.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

The figures from Japan's Cabinet Office also indicate that the country may have also lost its position as the world's third-largest economy to Germany, BBC reported.

Economists had expected the new data to show that Japan's GDP grew by more than 1% in the fourth quarter of last year.

In October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that Germany was likely to overtake Japan as the world's third-largest economy when measured in US dollars, BBC reported.

The IMF will only declare a change in its rankings once both countries have published the final versions of their economic growth figures. It began publishing data comparing economies in 1980.

Economist Neil Newman told the BBC that the latest figures show that Japan's economy was worth about $4.2tn (£3.3tn) in 2023, while Germany's was $4.4tn.

This was due to the weakness of the Japanese currency against the dollar and that if the yen recovers, the country could regain the number three spot, Newman added, BBC reported.

At a press conference in Tokyo this month, the IMF's deputy head, Gita Gopinath, also said an important reason for Japan potentially slipping in the rankings was the yen falling by about 9 per cent against the US dollar last year.

However, the weakness of the yen has helped to boost the share prices of some of Japan's biggest companies as it makes the country's exports, such as cars, cheaper in overseas markets.

This week, Tokyo's main stock index, the Nikkei 225, crossed the 38,000 mark for the first time since 1990, when a collapse in property prices triggered an economic crisis. The Nikkei 225's record high of 38,915.87 was set on 29 December 1989, BBC reported.

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 30: Himanshu Singh, a Mechanical Engineering student at IPS Academy, has achieved significant success. Himanshu Singh has been offered a job by the renowned company Tesla with a package of ₹4 crores per year. He will be heading to Germany for a job at the company. In Germany, Himanshu Singh will also undergo a 2-year internship sponsored by Tesla, with the company bearing expenses amounting to ₹1.5 crores per year for this internship.

During the internship in Germany, Himanshu Singh will work in Tesla’s Electronic Vehicle segment. Sharing this information, Dr. Archana Keerti Chaudhary, the Principal of IPS Academy, Indore Institute of Science and Technology, expressed her pride not only for the college but also for the city, as landing a job at a world-renowned company like Tesla with such a lucrative package is a matter of great pride.

She also highlighted that Mechanical Engineering offers ample opportunities, and many large companies are offering attractive job packages to Mechanical Engineering students. Himanshu Singh’s success has received best wishes from the college’s Chairman, Architect Shri Achal Chaudhary, Vice Chairman Shri Yogendra Jain, Shri Rajesh Chaudhary, and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Amit Chanda, among others, for a bright future ahead.

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Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 29: Himanshu Singh, a Mechanical Engineering student at IPS Academy, has achieved significant success. Himanshu Singh has been offered a job by the renowned company Tesla with a package of ₹4 crores per year. He will be heading to Germany for a job at the company. In Germany, Himanshu Singh will also undergo a 2-year internship sponsored by Tesla, with the company bearing expenses amounting to ₹1.5 crores per year for this internship.

During the internship in Germany, Himanshu Singh will work in Tesla’s Electronic Vehicle segment. Sharing this information, Dr. Archana Keerti Chaudhary, the Principal of IPS Academy, Indore Institute of Science and Technology, expressed her pride not only for the college but also for the city, as landing a job at a world-renowned company like Tesla with such a lucrative package is a matter of great pride.

She also highlighted that Mechanical Engineering offers ample opportunities, and many large companies are offering attractive job packages to Mechanical Engineering students. Himanshu Singh’s success has received best wishes from the college’s Chairman, Architect Shri Achal Chaudhary, Vice Chairman Shri Yogendra Jain, Shri Rajesh Chaudhary, and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Amit Chanda, among others, for a bright future ahead.

If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact pr.error.rectification[at]gmail.com to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.