German Men’s Childlessness Rises Sharply

Data from the GESIS‑Leibniz‑Institut for Social Sciences show that the share of childless men in Germany has grown from about 34 % in 1980 to 40 % today. Among men aged 30‑34, childlessness jumped from 42 % to 69 %, and among those 35‑39 it rose from 22 % to 54 %.

A parallel study by the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung reports that the proportion of men living with a steady partner fell from 93 % in 1986 to 79 % in 2024. Professor Claudia Rahnfeld of the Duale Hochschule Gera‑Eisenach attributes the trend to structural factors such as financial stability, career establishment and housing availability, as well as increased selectivity in partner choice and higher female emancipation. She remarks, “When we compare the desire for children with its realization, it is often the difficult framework conditions of today that matter.”