Abstract

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.

Population Growth (1890–1914)

Source

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[1]	Annual rate of population growth
	Per 1,000 residents				1,000	%
1870[2]∗	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

Notes

[1] ∗ 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.

[2] ∗∗ The statistics for 1870 also include Alsace-Lorraine.

Source: Bevölkerung und Wirtschaft, pp. 102–103; and Walter G. Hoffmann, Das Wachstum der deutschen Wirtschaft seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts. 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, Munich, 1975, vol. 2, pp. 29–30.

Recommended Citation

Population Growth (1890–1914), published in: German History in Documents and Images, <https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/wilhelmine-germany-and-the-first-world-war-1890-1918/ghdi:document-631> [September 26, 2025].

Related Sources

Births and Marriages (1900, 1905, 1910 and 1913-1941)

Population Distribution by Size of Locality: German Reich, Prussian Provinces, and Federal States (1871–1910)

Structural Change in the Workforce (1950–1970)

Radio Use in Germany, 1929-1941

Population Growth in Major Cities (1875–1910)