Germany's Brandenburg and Hessen record historic low birth rates in 2025

In 2025 Brandenburg registered only 14,495 births, a 4.3% decline from the previous year and the lowest number since the early post‑reunification period. The state also saw 35,743 deaths, creating a death‑excess of 21,248 – the highest since 1990 – and a fertility rate of 1.30 children per woman. Potsdam was the sole positive outlier, posting the highest birth rate in the state (7.3 births per 1,000 inhabitants) and the lowest death rate.

Hesse recorded 51,740 newborns in 2025, the fewest since 2012 and a 2.5% drop from 2024. Deaths numbered 71,080, still exceeding births, resulting in a net population loss of 19,340 people. However, the overall population remained almost unchanged at 6.28 million due to a strong migration balance: 204,930 people moved to Hesse, 59.5% from abroad, with notable inflows from Ukraine, while 188,080 left. The net migration gain of 16,850 helped limit the demographic decline.