Germany sees rise in number of large families

The share of children growing up in large families in Germany has been rising again in recent years, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), driven mainly by immigration since 2015.

That figure had declined from 25 per cent in 1996 to 23 per cent in 2015, but then rose again to 26 per cent by 2024.

"The development over the past ten years is likely due mainly to immigration starting in 2015," Destatis said.

Families with a migration background were found to have three or more children nearly twice as often as families without foreign roots. In 2024, 19 per cent of migrant families had at least three children, compared to around 10 per cent of other families.

The size of families in Germany
Also in 2024, 8% of children lived with three or more siblings, while 18% had two siblings. The largest group — 44 per cent, lived with one sibling, and 30 per cent were only children.

Larger families were slightly more common in the western federal states, where 13 per cent of families had at least three children, compared to 11 per cent in eastern Germany.

The figures come from the annual microcensus, which surveys 1 per cent of the population. Families are defined as parent child groups living in the same household, children who have moved out are not included.