Slightly more children were born in Germany than in previous years. How did the increased numbers come about?
Wiesbaden – In Germany, more children were born up to August this year than in the same period of the previous year. The plus in 2020 is 1.3 percent, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday in Wiesbaden, citing preliminary figures.
Around 524,000 children were born accordingly. Whether the numbers show a corona effect is difficult to say in view of the only slight increase, said the demography expert at the Federal Statistical Office, Olga Pötzsch.
This also applies to an abnormality in the numbers, namely a significant increase in the births of siblings – i.e. second, third and further children – between March and April compared to the previous year. The pregnancies began in June and July 2020 when the pandemic situation had meanwhile eased after the first lockdown.
“This is an unusual development, but it is unclear whether it is a corona effect,” said Pötzsch. Parents who already had another desire to have children may have preferred this because they would have had more time for the family. dpa
