Growth spurt
January 13, 2012
A large influx of new immigrants, many from Eastern Europe, led to a modest increase in Germany's population in 2011 for the first time in eight years, the German Federal Statistics Office reported Friday.
There were 81.8 million people living in Germany last year, up by more than 50,000 from 2010. The gain came entirely from immigration, with 240,000 more people coming to Germany than leaving. Deaths were estimated to have outpaced births by up to 185,000.
"The majority of people in this positive immigration trend came from countries which joined the European Union in 2004, especially Poland," the office said in a statement.
In order to shield its labor market, Germany claimed a seven-year exemption from the EU's rule allowing free movement of labor across the bloc. Thus workers from all the countries that joined the EU in 2004, including the Czech Republic and Hungary, needed permission to work in Germany.
That exemption expired in May last year, leading to a monthly average of 28,000 people from those newer EU countries relocating to Germany.
Downward trend
Germany's general trend of negative population growth is cause for economic concern, as fewer young workers will be paying into pension funds that the ever-growing number of retirees depend on. And while the slight growth in 2011 may be good news, experts do not expect it to last.
"Population numbers are shrinking in the medium- and long-term," said statistician Reinhold Zahn. "This is not a change in trend, but rather a momentary increase."
Germany conducted its first official census last year since reunification, as required by the European Union.
Author: Andrew Bowen (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Nicole Goebel