Benery in NRW in free fall: where the children are missing!

In 2024 there was a decline in birth rates in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to estimates by the State Statistical Office of North Rhine-Westphalia, around 153,800 children were born, which corresponds to a decline of around 1,700 or 1.1 percent compared to 2023 when 155,515 living born were recorded. This development continues a trend, since a decline in birth rate was determined in 2022 and 2023: in 2022 the decline was 6.2 percent and 2023 5.5 percent.

For most independent cities and circles of North Rhine-Westphalia, lower births are expected than in the previous year. The forecasts for the district of Olpe see particularly significant declines with a minus of 8.9 percent, followed by Duisburg with -7.3 percent and Mülheim an der Ruhr and Solingen with -6.1 percent each. Bochum is also charged with a decline of 6.0 percent. On the other hand, in some regions such as the Höxter district, an increase in newborns by 4.1 percent and in Paderborn and Steinfurt are expected by 3.6 and 3.1 percent.

further developments and reviews

In 2024, around 44,400 children were born in 2024, which corresponds to a decline of 2.2 percent compared to 2023 when 45,451 newborns were registered. The final results of the 2024 birth statistics are expected to be available from June 2025. These estimates are based on preliminary results for 2024 and previous year's values.

Developments in the birth rate are not new. According to a extrapolation of the preliminary births for 2023, there were already significantly stronger declines in cities such as Düsseldorf with -11.4 percent and Wuppertal with -11.2 percent. In Duisburg, on the other hand, an increase of 11.5 percent was recorded. In general, around 45,600 newborns were found in the entire Ruhr area, which corresponds to a decline of 2.9 percent compared to the previous year, as wdr reported.