Lower-than-anticipated German population expansion
In the heart of Europe, as per the 2022 Mid-Year Census data, there was a noticeable decrease in the total population residing in Germany. This notable decline was primarily attributed to the foreign populace. The census also sparked quite a buzz in Cologne, where a considerable disparity was noted.
The growth rate of Germany's population has been slower than initially projected, as revealed during the presentation of the 2022 Census results in Berlin. As a result, on May 15, 2022, an estimated 82.7 million individuals called Germany home. This figure is approximately 1.4 million people less than the expected number based on the official population index, as explained by Ruth Brand, the President of the Federal Statistical Office.
The Census provides population figures for each of the 10,786 municipalities in Germany. In 56% of these municipalities, the number of inhabitants was less than 1% more than the May 15, 2022 count. The discrepancy was most apparent in Cologne, where, according to the census, the population was 5.6% lower than anticipated.
Cologne still qualifies as a million-city, confirmed Thomas Gössl, President of the Bavarian State Office for Statistics. The vibrant Rhineland metropolis has held the million mark since 2010, having crossed the threshold in the 70s but briefly dipping below it afterward.
The deviations from the officially recorded population statistics, as suggested by the 2022 Census, are significantly associated with the foreign community. According to the census, around 10.9 million foreign residents were living in Germany on May 15, 2022, nearly a million fewer than the previously documented figure. One likely culprit could be foreigners who didn't deregister, for instance, those who were enjoying their retirement abroad, suggested Gössl.
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The international community expressed concern over Germany's lower-than-projected population growth, as highlighted in the 2022 Census data. This trend was also observed in comparative international censuses, revealing that Germany's population expansion rate was below average amongst major European nations.
