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Population Growth (1890-1914)

German society grew and changed dramatically in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In the twenty years prior to the First World War, the rate of population growth averaged 1.34 percent, as compared to .47 percent annual growth in 1871. The result was that Germany’s population – 41 million in 1871 – grew to 49.7 million by 1891 and increased to 65.3 million by 1911.

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Population Growth and Component Factors

Year

Marriages

Live births
Deaths (not counting stillbirths)
Surplus of births (+) or deaths (-)
Net gain (+) or loss
(-) in population resulting from immigration between the censuses*

Annual rate of population growth

per 1,000 residents
1,000
%
1870**
7.7
38.5
27.4
+11.1
-492
1871
8.2
34.5
24.6
+4.9
0.47
1872
10.3
39.5
29.0
+10.5
0.46
1873
10.0
39.7
28.3
+11.4
0.84
1874
9.5
40.1
26.7
+13.4
1.09
1875
9.1
40.6
27.6
+13.0
-440
1.26
1876
8.5
40.9
26.3
+14.6
1.29
1877
8.0
40.0
26.4
+13.6
1.28
1878
7.7
38.9
26.2
+12.6
1.19
1879
7.5
38.9
25.6
+13.3
1.16
1880
7.5
37.6
26.0
+11.6
-385
1.02
1881
7.5
37.0
25.5
+11.6
0.74
1882
7.7
37.2
25.7
+11.5
0.64
1883
7.7
36.6
25.9
+10.7
0.65
1884
7.8
37.2
26.0
+11.3
0.70
1885
7.9
37.0
25.7
+11.4
-975
0.80
1886
7.9
37.1
26.2
+10.9
0.85
1887
7.8
36.9
24.2
+12.7
0.93
1888
7.8
36.6
23.7
+12.8
1.01
1889
8.0
36.4
23.7
+12.7
1.02
1890
8.0
35.7
24.4
+11.4
-345
1.50
1891
8.0
37.0
23.4
+13.6
1.07
1892
7.9
35.7
24.1
+11.6
1.03
1893
7.9
36.8
24.6
+12.2
0.99
1894
7.9
35.9
22.3
+13.6
1.10
1895
8.0
36.1
22.1
+13.9
-460
1.29
1896
8.2
36.3
20.8
+15.5
1.45
1897
8.4
36.1
21.3
+14.6
1.55
1898
8.4
36.1
20.5
+15.6
1.56
1899
8.5
35.9
21.5
+14.4
1.55
1900
8.5
35.6
22.1
+13.6
+140
1.44
1901
8.2
35.7
20.7
+15.1
1.48
1902
7.9
35.1
19.4
+15.6
1.57
1903
7.9
33.8
20.0
+13.9
1.49
1904
8.0
34.0
19.6
+14.5
1.44
1905
8.1
33.0
19.8
+13.2
+45
1.41
1906
8.2
33.1
18.2
+14.9
1.39
1907
8.1
32.3
18.0
+14.2
1.41
1908
8.0
32.1
18.1
+14.0
1.37
1909
7.8
31.0
17.2
+13.9
1.36
1910
7.7
29.8
16.2
+13.6
-150
1.34
1911
7.8
28.6
17.3
+11.3
1.23
1912
7.9
28.3
15.6
+12.7
1.20
1913
7.7
27.5
15.0
+12.4
1.26
1914
6.8
26.8
19.0
+7.8
1.21

*The average annual net gain or loss in population resulting from immigration in the years between the censuses derives from the discrepancy between the calculated population surplus (resulting from births and deaths) and the actual increase in population after the censuses.
**The statistics for 1870 also include Alsace-Lorraine.



Source: Bevölkerung und Wirtschaft [Population and Economy], pp. 102-103; and Walter G. Hoffmann, Das Wachstum der deutschen Wirtschaft seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts [The Growth of the German Economy since the Middle of the 19th Century]. Berlin, 1965, pp. 173-174 (immigration figures).

Published in Gerd Hohorst, Jürgen Kocka, and Gerhard A. Ritter, eds., Sozialgeschichtliches Arbeitsbuch: Materialien zur Statistik des Kaiserreichs 1870-1914 [Social History Workbook: Materials on Kaiserreich Statistics 1870-1914]. Munich, 1975, vol. 2, pp. 29-30.

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