Birth rate of women in Germany 1950-2020, by age

From 1950 to 2020, fertility patterns in Germany changed drastically, as women gradually had children at later stages in life. The baby boom that followed the Second World War was a unique event, but women in their twenties had the highest birth rates by a significant margin. This remained true until the 1990s, when birth rates among women in their early thirties overtook those of women aged 20-24, before having the highest birth rates in the country from around 2010 onwards. Birth rates among women in their late thirties also fluctuated over the given period, but have generally followed the trajectory of the age group below, and this age group is on course to have the second highest birth rate in Germany in the next decade.

Birth rates among teenagers have also dropped significantly, from a peak of almost 50 births per 1,000 women in 1970, to just eight births in 2020. Throughout the 2010s, birth rates among women in their early forties were actually higher than teen pregnancies; this is not only due to societal trends, but improvements in assisted reproductive technologies have increased conception rates among older age groups.