Number of live births in Germany
Germany: Number of live births was 784,884 births in 2017. ▼ Falling
Latest (2017)
784,884 births
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
3rd
of 34 countries
All-time high
1.36 million births
in 1964
All-time low
662,685 births
in 2011
Years of data
62
1956–2017
Number of live births in Germany, 1956–2017
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births.
Analysis
In 2017, number of live births in Germany stood at 784,884 births.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of live births in Germany peaked at 1.36 million births in 1964 and was at its lowest, 662,685 births, in 2011.
Germany ranks 3rd of 34 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Number of live births in Germany, year by year
| Year | births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 1.14 million births | — |
| 1957 | 1.17 million births | +2.5% |
| 1958 | 1.18 million births | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 1.24 million births | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 1.26 million births | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 1.31 million births | +4.1% |
| 1962 | 1.32 million births | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 1.36 million births | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 1.36 million births | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 1.33 million births | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 1.32 million births | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 1.27 million births | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 1.21 million births | -4.5% |
| 1969 | 1.14 million births | -6.0% |
| 1970 | 1.05 million births | -8.3% |
| 1971 | 1.01 million births | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 901,657 births | -11.0% |
| 1973 | 815,969 births | -9.5% |
| 1974 | 805,500 births | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 782,310 births | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 798,334 births | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 805,496 births | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 808,619 births | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 817,217 births | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 865,789 births | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 862,100 births | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 861,275 births | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 827,933 births | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 812,292 births | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 813,803 births | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 848,232 births | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 867,969 births | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 892,993 births | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 880,459 births | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 905,675 births | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 830,019 births | -8.4% |
| 1992 | 809,114 births | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 798,447 births | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 769,603 births | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 765,221 births | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 796,013 births | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 812,173 births | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 785,034 births | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 770,744 births | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 766,999 births | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 734,475 births | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 719,250 births | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 706,721 births | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 705,622 births | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 685,795 births | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 672,724 births | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 684,862 births | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 682,514 births | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 665,126 births | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 677,947 births | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 662,685 births | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 673,544 births | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 682,069 births | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 714,927 births | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 737,575 births | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 792,131 births | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 784,884 births | -0.9% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 784,884 births is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 89,018 births, 8.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Germany's 784,884 births is above the median for high income countries, which is 98,451 births, 8.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.18 million births | 1.14 million births | 1.24 million births | 4 |
| 1960s | 1.29 million births | 1.14 million births | 1.36 million births | 10 |
| 1970s | 859,624 births | 782,310 births | 1.05 million births | 10 |
| 1980s | 853,284 births | 812,292 births | 892,993 births | 10 |
| 1990s | 804,204 births | 765,221 births | 905,675 births | 10 |
| 2000s | 702,409 births | 665,126 births | 766,999 births | 10 |
| 2010s | 715,720 births | 662,685 births | 792,131 births | 8 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 1 United States 3.60 million births compare
- 2 Russia 1.58 million births compare
- 4 Japan 727,288 births compare
- 5 France 686,564 births compare
- 6 United Kingdom 673,275 births compare
More population data for Germany
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1409 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.8968 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.11 million people (2100)
- Population density 202.93 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3367 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1335 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of live births in Germany?
- Number of live births in Germany was 784,884 births in 2017, according to Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of live births recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 1.36 million births in 1964.
- What is the lowest number of live births recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 662,685 births in 2011.
- How does Germany rank for number of live births?
- Germany ranks 3rd out of 34 countries with data for 2017.
- Is number of live births rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of live births. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of live births recorded in a given year.