Daniel P. (52) is a real original Berliner. “People are just in a good mood here and I just like it here. It doesn’t bother me that so many are moving in. But there are already a lot of tourists here – it’s just too much.” Photo: Sven Meissner
By Pauline von Pezold
For the first time since 2006, there is a surplus of deaths in the capital. That means; the number of deaths exceeds the number of births within a year. And yet the population of Berlin is growing. As more and more people move in, the original Berliners are dying out.
According to the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office, 39,572 people died in Berlin in 2022, while 35,729 children were born. The last time this mismatch was 17 years ago.
Pavel P. (41) and his daughter Olivia P. (18) are from Poland. He found a job in Berlin twelve years ago, and his family came with him eleven years ago. “I love the city. She is so diverse. I have many friends from different countries. I would never want to leave here again,” says Olivia Photo: Michael Körner
One reason for the excess of deaths in Berlin is the record number of deaths – last December they reached a sad high. 2022 has not seen as many deaths in December since the end of World War II.
Tobias B. (41) comes from the Vogelsberg district in Hesse. “I studied in Marburg and when I finished my studies I just ended up in Berlin – I’ve been here for eight years now”. Photo: Michael Körner
Why that is is puzzling. For years, more deaths have been expected due to the rising number of older people – but only about a fifth of the increase is probably due to this. The flu wave and corona deaths could be another cause. This also includes postponed surgeries and check-ups during the pandemic.
Anna Amalia G. (36) from Friedrichshain was born and raised in Berlin. In between she also lived somewhere else, but now lives back in her hometown. “I think Berlin is a city worth living in. It’s diverse, you meet a lot of different people and it’s not as conservative as other cities. I’m not afraid of the original Berliners dying out. The fact that the population changes is something completely normal and that also enriches the city.” Photo: Sven Meissner
The other reason for the excess deaths is the decline in births in Berlin. In 2022, almost 3,500 fewer children were born than in the previous year. In addition, according to the Federal Statistical Office, women in Berlin only become mothers later than the rest of Germany.
While women in Saxony-Anhalt have children on average at the age of 29, women in Berlin are on average between 30 and 31 years old when their first child is born – only women in Hamburg are even later. And when it comes to the proportion of childless women, Berliners are also far ahead. Accordingly, 25 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 54 have no children.
Katharina K. (38, left) is originally from Munich and has been in Berlin for 18 years since her studies. She describes the city as “Villa Kunterbunt”. Debora K. (33) is originally from Erfurt and moved to Berlin with her family 26 years ago. “Berlin is simply more unconventional. You can do whatever you want here – sometimes that’s a problem and sometimes that’s a good thing.” Photo: Michael Körner
And yet, according to official population statistics, a total of around 3.76 million people lived in Berlin at the end of 2022 – almost 78,000 more than a year earlier.