With life expectancy rising and the number of births falling, Germany’s population is steadily ageing. According to new figures, the average age in the federal republic has now reached 44,6 years - and it will continue to go up. 

Average age in Germany reaches 44,6 years

“The average age has risen by 5 years since 1990 to 44,6 years. In eight districts - all in East Germany - it is now even 50 years or more,” the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) concluded last week, using figures from state statistical offices. 

According to Peter Schwark, Deputy General Manager of the GDV, the ageing of Germany’s population has not yet reached its peak - meaning the federal, state and local governments have work to do to cope with its long-term consequences. 

Heidelberg is Germany’s youngest city

The statistics also show how different regions in Germany are ageing at different rates. A decade separates the oldest city of Suhl, where the average inhabitant is 51 years old, and the youngest city of Heidelberg, where the average age is 40,7. 

Overall, the urban versus rural divide is the most pronounced, with residents of German cities, and towns with universities, much younger than their rural compatriots. This, according to the GDV, is a new phenomenon that was not present at the beginning of the 1990s. 

5,9 million over-80s call the federal republic home

The ageing of the German population is also clear from the growing number of people living in the country aged 80 and above. At the end of 2020, there were around 5,9 million in Germany, compared to around 3 million in 1990. 

In the 30 years since reunification, the proportion of the population made up by over-80s has almost doubled from 3,8 to 7,1 percent. In eight districts, one in every 10 inhabitants is already over 80, with the highest proportion present in Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at 11,2 percent.