Germany's population decline 'cannot be halted

Expatica ^ | 8 November 2006 | staff

[shrinkermd]

Berlin (dpa) - Germany's population could fall to 69 million by 2050 with the proportion of elderly people sharply rising, a report by the Federal Statistics Office said Tuesday.

Germany currently has 82.4 million people but declining birth rates will reduce the country's population to between 69 million and 74 million by 2050, said the report.

"The population decline cannot be halted," said Walter Rademacher, the statistics office vice-president.

Both the decline and ageing of Germany's population are expected to impact on the economy because there will be fewer people in the working age between 20 and 65 years.

At the end of 2005 about 20 per cent of the population was younger than 20 years and 19 per cent were over 65 years. The remaining 61 per cent were potential members of the workforce.

By 2050 only half the population will be workforce aged, while 30 per cent will be over 65 and just 15 per cent under 20 years, the report predicts.

[shrinkermd]

Longevity is an increasing problem for the EU that seemingly has been solved by immigration.

[Koblenz]

The population decline cannot be halted

Really? Do they need more demonstrations in how to make babies?

[ken5050]

Maybe we could offer to pay any Mexican here in the USA illegally $5000 to move to Germany..

[The_Republican]

Too bad they don't share border with Mehico.

[Vigilanteman]

Splendid idea! And Germany might even thank us. Given the choice between Juan with the weed-whacker and Abdul with the anthrx, it's a no-brainer.

[Alex Murphy]

Really? Do they need more demonstrations in how to make babies?

Either that, or drop income taxes to 0.0% and watch people beat a path to Germany's door.

[omega4179]

There is a mathematical model in these cases of how many childbearing women exist in a country, how many kids they are likely to have and what the maximum they are likely to have is and that can be far outstripped by death rates of an aging population.
Socialism is death for "white" cultures when working couples don't feel optomistic enough about the direction of society and the economy to put out 4-5 babies and be able to take care of them coupled with materialism like the need for 2 new cars, nice housing and nice home goods and decor. the birthrate drops to 2 then 1 per couple then the immigrants take over in a couple generations because they are not as disinclined to have 1 or 2 babies.

[.cnI redruM]

Either that, or just give me 30 minute appointments with the younger German Ladies :)

[fireman43]

I think young Germans need to learn two things so they will survive when they grow up:

Turkish and the Koran.

[HaveHadEnough]

Either that, or drop income taxes to 0.0% and watch people beat a path to Germany's door.

Or just drop the income tax 20% for each kid a person has.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I read an article a few years ago that when through history and tried to correlate specific events, the economy, type of government, and a number of factors, and could not come up with any consistent factors that caused high vs. low birth rates. In some countries, high birth rates are believed to be related to the high infant mortality rate. In third world countries that practice subsistence agriculture, the belief is that people want to have enough children to survive to support them in their old age. In some countries, religion is a factor, others politics (China's repressive one child-abortion against the mother's will).
What has changes Western culture, and ultimately those countries like Japan, China, Korea, etc. is the feminist movement and the sexual revolution. Clearly, easy abortion and birth control has been a factor.
Germany pays very generous benefits to mothers that have children. It doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. Even countries like Poland that have a lot of devout Catholics, the birth rate is not what it should be.

If it doesn't change, Muslims (they have high birth rates) will eventually become the dominant population in many European countries.

[AdamSelene235]

Caged animals do not breed well, what is true at the zoo also applies to socialist nations.

[GSlob]

What the little Hansel did not learn, grown-up Hans will not know... :-)

[Prodigal Son]

Socialism is death for "white" cultures when working couples don't feel optomistic enough about the direction of society and the economy to put out 4-5 babies

LOL. It has nothing whatsoever to do with socialism. Whites in America experience the same phenomenom. I mean who wants 5 kids? I don't even want one and it's got diddly-squat to do with politics or the state of the world. I just don't want any. I think the world is an exciting and interesting place- I'm pretty optimistic about it. But I don't have the time for kids. I try to move to another country to live every so often and I can't see kids fitting in with that lifestyle.

My ex-wife is German. She's a surgeon here in Scotland now. If she were to have a kid it would just derail her career. It's not because she feels like the future is bleak. By the time she makes consultant surgeon she might still be in her child-bearing years. But I'd say her career is very important to her. All those years of study and university and slogging away as a junior doctor... I think she's right to want to earn as much money as possible now and attain a position at the top of the medical heap- skipping parenthood for a while- even if this troubles a few conservatives here and there.

[omega4179]

If the smart and productive people won't have babies, other people will... and that rule crosses all demographics.

[fatez]

Yep,

And she can save all that money and turn it over to the government when she dies. And when she is in the nursing home by herself, with not family to visit her, she reminisce about her hectic schedule as a doctor.

Yep, kids are a pain and they cost money, but I will have someone to visit me when I am old and gray.

[cyborg]

You HOPE they'll come visit you when you're old. I work as a nurse aide in a home and I can tell you that most do not come to visit :( The rare exception is this one lady that had six children and they come most every day to see her. I just wonder if they have the time to come to a home why they can't take care of her at home. Everyone is busy busy busy. I used to want children, A LOT but it's costs money to raise children. I rather not raise a large family the way I see other women raising families. A lot of the women around here have a lot of kids fast and young then get really fat and old EARLY, it's so sad.

[dgallo51]

The Democrats can do for American what the Social Democrats have done to Germany. Just imagine what a little pandemic will do to the West!

[AdamSelene235]

It has nothing whatsoever to do with socialism. Whites in America experience the same phenomenom. I mean who wants 5 kids?

The United States is a Socialist country. Our Social Security system is based on the one implemented by Otto Von Bismark who explicited coveted the loyalty shown by children to their family. He deliberately made the elderly dependent on the State rather than the family for the purpose of creating class of people who were first and foremost loyal to Big Government. See the AARP.

[Salvation]

**Germany's population decline 'cannot be halted **

Sure it can!!!

Start having more babies.