The birth rate in Germany remains one of the lowest in Europe today.
Most respondents in the 25–29 age group cited the desire to build a solid financial foundation (79%) or obtain a quality education (67%) as the main reason for not having children.
More than half (57%) of those in the 29–40 age group explained their childlessness by not finding a suitable partner with whom to have a child. The same argument was cited as the main reason by 61% of respondents over 40.
86% of respondents answered affirmatively that one of the main reasons for low birth rates in Germany is the fear of losing a job. 81% also believe that career is more important than starting a family in modern society, and this too negatively affects the birth rate. Additionally, 79% stated that their lives are extremely hard and difficult even without children.
At the same time, most childless Germans surveyed said they are not against having children. Among men, those who want to have a child are more (70%) than among women (61%). In the eastern states, the number of those wishing to have a child (72%) is higher than in the western states (66%).
However, 8% of all respondents said they do not want children under any circumstances, and another 17% said they would agree to become parents if necessary, but they would rather not.
According to Eurostat, the share of childless women in Germany is 30% (among women with higher education it is even higher – almost 49%), and among men this figure reaches 40%. As noted by «Русская Германия», the birth rate in Germany currently remains one of the lowest in Europe: the country has 1.37 children per woman.
In the United Kingdom, this figure is 1.74, in Sweden 1.75, in France 1.9. According to demographers' forecasts, at this rate, Germany will have 68.5 million inhabitants by 2050 (as of August 31, 2010, the country's population was 81.742 million).