Crude birth rate in East and West Germany

President Steinmeier recently called the turning point a great moment in German democratic history. For the people in the East, however, the transition from the socialist system to capitalism was often too fast. For the people, the years after reunification were marked by social dislocation and economic insecurity. This could be seen not only in the rapidly rising unemployment figures but also in the drastic slump in the birth rate. From 1990 to 1994, the birth rate in East Germany dropped by almost half. In 1994, East Germany recorded the lowest birth rate of all time in Germany since the data were collected.

Many women and men who did not know whether they could keep their jobs postponed starting a family or gave up having children altogether. In the meantime, slightly more children are being born again in the East than in the West.

Source: destatis.de