Germany population pyramid 2026
83,644,258 people in 2026 (projected). Germany’s pyramid is top-heavy around the 1960s baby boom at ages 55–64, cut sharply below by the 1970s birth slump and widened at 35–39 by migrants.
- 2026 population
- 83.6Mrank 19 of 237
- Median age
- 45.7 yearsoldest rank 19
- Fertility rate
- 1.46births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older24.2% age 65+
Germany population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Germany age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 13.9% of the population, while 24.2% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 61.9% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Germany’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 61.6: about 62 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (22.4 children and 39.2 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Germany’s population pyramid
Two world wars in one chart
The Germany 1950 pyramid is one of the clearest records of war in demographic data. The cohort born in 1915–19, when births collapsed during the First World War, forms a notch at ages 30–34, while losses in the Second World War left far fewer men than women at every age from 25 to 49. These cohorts have since died out, so the 2026 pyramid is shaped instead by what came after.
The boom and the 1970s cliff
West and East Germany both had a baby boom that peaked in the mid-1960s. Those born in 1962–71 are now aged 55–64, and the 60–64 band is the widest in the pyramid. Births then fell steeply: by the mid-1970s the total fertility rate in West Germany was around 1.4, a drop often called the Pillenknick (“pill kink”), although changing attitudes to family size and women’s employment mattered as much as contraception. The result is a sharp step: the 50–54 band (born 1972–76) is about a fifth narrower than 55–59. Fertility has stayed well below replacement since, near 1.5 today, so the base has never re-widened; ages 0–4 hold only a little over half as many people as 60–64. In eastern Germany births more than halved in the years after reunification in 1990, deepening the shortfall among people now in their early to mid-thirties.
Migration and the 35–39 bulge
The 35–39 band (born 1987–91) is wider than both its neighbors. Part of this is an echo of the boomers’ own children, but much reflects immigration: people who arrived as young adults, including EU workers and the asylum seekers of 2015–16, are now concentrated in their thirties. Migration has repeatedly offset natural decrease, which has been negative in Germany since the early 1970s, and the arrival of more than a million people from Ukraine after 2022 helped lift the population to a record in 2023. The Germany vs Italy comparison and Germany vs Japan show how differently two similarly low-fertility countries look once migration is added; both are textbook constrictive pyramids.
Under the UN medium scenario Germany’s population falls to about 78 million by 2050, with a median age near 48 and the boom generation then forming a wide band in their eighties.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50–54 | 1972–1976 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −13% |
| 60–64 | 1962–1966 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +11% |
Deaths have exceeded births every year since 1972. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 1995 and 2000.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Germany is projected to record 689,997 births (about one birth every 46 seconds) and 1,042,378 deaths, a natural decrease of 352,381. Net migration adds +158,442 people, ranking #54 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 17,342,897 births, 21,529,284 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +7,133,564. Over that period migration moved the total more than the balance of births and deaths did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +4,111,996 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 84.1 years69.3 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 79.6 years64.1 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 20.2 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 2.6per 1,000 births · 58 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 3.2per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 31.7 yearssex ratio at birth 105.7
Women in Germany are projected to live 4.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 58 to 2.6 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #211 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 31.7 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Germany
The median age of 45.7 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.46 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 81.9 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 83,644,258 | #19 | Largest first |
| Median age | 45.7 years | #19 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.46 | #179 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.2% | #191 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 81.9 years | #45 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 24.2% | #13 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Germany
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60–64 | 6,765,397 | 8.1% | 3.4M / 3.4M |
| 2 | 55–59 | 6,400,148 | 7.7% | 3.2M / 3.2M |
| 3 | 65–69 | 5,739,271 | 6.9% | 2.8M / 3M |
| 4 | 35–39 | 5,614,330 | 6.7% | 2.9M / 2.7M |
| 5 | 40–44 | 5,379,944 | 6.4% | 2.7M / 2.6M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Germany has 41,307,014 males and 42,337,244 females. That is 97.6 males per 100 females, ranking #135 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 49.4% of the population and females for 50.6%. There are 1,030,230 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 80.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.7 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Germany has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 69,847,782 in 1950 to 83,644,258 in 2026, a change of 20%. Over the same span, median age moved from 32.9 to 45.7 years.
The under-15 share changed from 24.1% to 13.9%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 9.0% to 24.2%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Germany population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Germany’s population is projected to decline by about 6%, reaching 78,294,613 in 2050. The median age changes from 45.7 to 47.9 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 6.1 percentage points to 30.3%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 13.1%. The Germany population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 84,552,242 in 2024. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 69,847,782 | 32.9 | 2.19 | 66.8 | 1,205,774 | 716,873 | −628,404 | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 72,811,640 | 33.7 | 2.38 | 69.3 | 1,267,948 | 865,396 | +212,666 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 78,205,102 | 33.2 | 2.02 | 70.7 | 1,045,534 | 975,762 | −273,498 | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 78,315,375 | 35.7 | 1.56 | 73.1 | 859,436 | 953,173 | +324,203 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 79,707,959 | 36.6 | 1.46 | 75.3 | 907,502 | 923,338 | +679,702 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 81,797,258 | 39.0 | 1.39 | 78.1 | 765,246 | 842,093 | +174,594 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 80,830,924 | 43.3 | 1.40 | 80.1 | 676,779 | 861,871 | +130,116 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 83,628,708 | 44.9 | 1.53 | 81.0 | 775,194 | 990,849 | +203,468 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 84,548,231 | 45.1 | 1.44 | 81.4 | 719,249 | 1,034,140 | +609,553 | +0.3% |
| 2024* | 84,552,242 | 45.3 | 1.45 | 81.5 | 717,268 | 1,040,859 | +36,954 | -0.3% |
| 2026* | 83,644,258 | 45.7 | 1.46 | 81.9 | 689,997 | 1,042,378 | +158,442 | -0.2% |
| 2030* | 82,780,953 | 46.3 | 1.48 | 82.5 | 655,744 | 1,038,633 | +163,106 | -0.3% |
| 2040* | 80,551,736 | 48.1 | 1.51 | 83.9 | 649,015 | 1,029,728 | +165,138 | -0.3% |
| 2050* | 78,294,613 | 47.9 | 1.54 | 85.2 | 690,595 | 1,114,370 | +178,945 | -0.3% |
| 2060* | 75,604,604 | 46.6 | 1.56 | 86.4 | 650,725 | 1,070,900 | +164,408 | -0.3% |
| 2070* | 73,615,845 | 47.2 | 1.56 | 87.5 | 622,691 | 939,276 | +167,810 | -0.2% |
| 2080* | 72,112,514 | 47.1 | 1.58 | 88.7 | 641,217 | 920,696 | +152,062 | -0.2% |
| 2090* | 71,200,405 | 46.7 | 1.59 | 89.7 | 633,834 | 828,457 | +132,048 | -0.1% |
| 2100* | 70,899,863 | 47.4 | 1.60 | 90.8 | 609,726 | 785,689 | +141,380 | -0.1% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,855,807 | 1,759,337 | 3,615,144 | 4.3% |
| 5–9 | 2,078,939 | 1,974,075 | 4,053,014 | 4.8% |
| 10–14 | 2,015,118 | 1,908,872 | 3,923,990 | 4.7% |
| 15–19 | 1,992,957 | 1,884,320 | 3,877,277 | 4.6% |
| 20–24 | 2,106,379 | 1,981,678 | 4,088,057 | 4.9% |
| 25–29 | 2,389,617 | 2,176,611 | 4,566,228 | 5.5% |
| 30–34 | 2,542,408 | 2,350,023 | 4,892,431 | 5.8% |
| 35–39 | 2,892,805 | 2,721,525 | 5,614,330 | 6.7% |
| 40–44 | 2,733,293 | 2,646,651 | 5,379,944 | 6.4% |
| 45–49 | 2,590,776 | 2,574,345 | 5,165,121 | 6.2% |
| 50–54 | 2,513,063 | 2,513,146 | 5,026,209 | 6.0% |
| 55–59 | 3,199,064 | 3,201,084 | 6,400,148 | 7.7% |
| 60–64 | 3,353,756 | 3,411,641 | 6,765,397 | 8.1% |
| 65–69 | 2,778,794 | 2,960,477 | 5,739,271 | 6.9% |
| 70–74 | 2,167,320 | 2,495,422 | 4,662,742 | 5.6% |
| 75–79 | 1,669,015 | 2,036,290 | 3,705,305 | 4.4% |
| 80–84 | 1,178,305 | 1,585,905 | 2,764,210 | 3.3% |
| 85–89 | 913,739 | 1,438,953 | 2,352,692 | 2.8% |
| 90–94 | 282,832 | 561,500 | 844,332 | 1.0% |
| 95–99 | 49,495 | 138,663 | 188,158 | 0.2% |
| 100+ | 3,531 | 16,727 | 20,258 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Germany’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Liechtenstein97% overlap · median age 44.7
- Austria97% overlap · median age 43.9
- Guernsey96% overlap · median age 44.5
- Isle of Man96% overlap · median age 46.3
- Bermuda95% overlap · median age 46.4
- Switzerland95% overlap · median age 43.2
Compare Germany with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Germany.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Germany Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/germany/
MLA
“Germany Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/germany/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Germany Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/germany/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Germany in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Germany's population in 2026 is projected at 83,644,258.
What is the median age in Germany?
The projected median age in Germany in 2026 is 45.7 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Germany?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.46 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Germany's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 6%, from 83.6M to 78.3M.
What share of Germany is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 24.2% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 30.3%.
How many babies are born in Germany each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 689,997 births and 1,042,378 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 46 seconds. Deaths exceed births by 352,381.
What is life expectancy in Germany for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 84.1 years for women and 79.6 years for men, a gap of 4.5 years in favour of women.
Does Germany have more immigrants or emigrants?
Germany is projected to gain about 158,442 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +7,133,564.
What is the sex ratio in Germany?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 97.6 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.