BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Although the birth rate of German mothers aged 40 and above was still "relatively low" at 88 children per 1,000 women, it had almost quadrupled compared to 1990, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced on Tuesday.
"The rising birth rate of women aged 40 and over is noteworthy," the German statistical office, with mothers aged 40 and over giving birth to around 42,800 babies in 2018.
The total number of newborn babies in Germany in 2018 was 787,500, around 2,600 more newborns than in the previous year.
In Germany, 9 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants last year, which meant a fertility rate of 1.57 children per woman, Destatis calculated.
It noted that the average number of children per woman in 2018 had remained at the previous year's level.
According to the statistical office, the number of births "is not only influenced by birth behavior, but also by the current age structure of the population" in Germany.
In federal states with a relatively young population, "there are more potential parents" and "comparatively more children are born there in relation to the number of inhabitants," the German statisticians noted.
In the German federal states with a relatively old population and fewer potential parents, however, fewer children were born in relation to the number of inhabitants, Destatis noted.
