The Financial Times takes a startling look at how Eastern Germany is on the verge of demographic collapse. It’s part of a broader phenomenon on view across eastern and central Europe, hit by the emigration of young talent and burdened by aging populations:
“Demographers say little can be done. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, eastern Germany was hit by a double blow, with turmoil prompting a collapse in the birth rate and an exodus of young workers to the west. Most of the region now has so few women of childbearing age that recovery and reversal are all but impossible…
“Joachim Ragnitz, a professor of economics at Dresden University of Technology, said demography was among the biggest challenges facing the region. ‘There are a handful of cities that are growing, but elsewhere regions are shrinking rapidly and ageing rapidly at the same time. This has major economic implications: companies will not be able to find workers and regional disparities will rise sharply,’ he said…
“Another reason the issue of demography is gaining in urgency is political. The far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has scored some of its strongest results in the regions most marked by population decline. The far-right capitalizes on a perception that these districts have been abandoned by regional and federal governments and forgotten by Germany’s thriving urban centers.
“The argument has gained potency in the wake of the 2015 refugee crisis, which saw more than 1m mainly Muslim migrants arrive in Germany. In the years since, far-right politicians have contrasted the billions of euros spent on the refugee population and the alleged neglect of disadvantaged regions in rural eastern Germany.”
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