Germany recorded around 654,000 births in 2025, the lowest number since 1946. The country’s average fertility rate fell to 1.32 children per woman, its lowest level since 1997. While many young adults who want children still hope for more than they ultimately have, an increasing number are also questioning whether parenthood belongs in their future at all.
Anni Störling, a 31-year-old married woman from Munich, says she is content with her life alongside her husband and their dog, Nala. She enjoys travelling alone, maintaining her independence and making her own choices. Motherhood is not something she currently wants, and she discusses that decision openly on Instagram.
Her position often attracts criticism. People ask when she will finally have children or suggest that she simply has not found the right partner. Störling and her husband, however, have agreed that parenthood should require a clear, shared decision. Until they feel an unequivocal yes, they will remain child-free.
According to data from the Federal Institute for Population Research, young adults who want to become parents still desire an average of about 2.2 children. But in 2025, the average number of children people said they wanted declined for the first time in several years, reaching 1.7 among women and 1.6 among men.
The decline in births since 2021 has been linked to several crises occurring at the same time, including the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and rising inflation. High rents, uncertain career prospects and international political developments also weigh on decisions about starting a family. In the institute’s survey, 85 percent of participants said they were worried about wars.
Expectations surrounding parenthood have also grown. Dagmar Müller, a social scientist at the German Youth Institute, says many people place extremely high demands on themselves as parents, creating the impression that they must perform perfectly in that role. Alongside economic and social concerns, individual lifestyles are increasingly influential. For some women, motherhood is no longer considered necessary for a fulfilling life.
The consequences of fewer births will become more significant over time. A low fertility rate contributes to an ageing population, with smaller generations entering the workforce and larger generations reaching retirement. This places pressure on Germany’s pension, care and healthcare systems and can negatively affect social security and wider prosperity. Supporters of measures to increase births call for better conditions for families, including improvements to parental benefits and childcare.
Family formation is also being postponed. As women grow older, both the number and quality of their eggs decline, according to Nina Rogenhofer of the Hormone and Fertility Centre at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Egg freezing, or social freezing, may improve the chances of a later pregnancy but does not guarantee one. Demand for the procedure has increased, while women are now around 30 years old on average when they have their first child.
For some women, preserving the possibility of having children later is important. For others, the central question is whether they want children at all. Störling says she does not want to become a mother simply because society expects it. She accepts that she might one day regret her decision, but says she would rather regret not having children than regret having them. For now, she says, nothing is missing from her life.
Her experience illustrates that falling birth rates reflect more than postponed or unfulfilled plans to have children. They also include people who consciously believe that a child-free life suits them.
Sources: Tagesschau.