The Growing Sentiment in Germany that "Childbirth is a Luxury" - 55% Say "No More Children": Rising Living Costs Undermine the Future of Families

The Growing Sentiment in Germany that "Childbirth is a Luxury" - 55% Say "No More Children": Rising Living Costs Undermine the Future of Families

The concept of "having children" is increasingly being discussed not as a natural step in life but as an "expensive choice." A public opinion survey conducted in Germany has visualized this sentiment with numbers.


According to the survey, 55% agreed with the statement that "people in Germany can no longer afford to have children," 34% disagreed, and 11% were undecided. The majority feel that "raising children is financially challenging." The survey was conducted on February 19-20, 2026, targeting 1,003 people.


What creates the "impossibility": Living costs as the primary barrier

When asked "why can't you have children," the most common response was the high cost of living (81%). As monthly fixed and variable costs like rent, food, and energy rise simultaneously, the impact of reduced income during childbirth and childcare phases is significantly amplified.


The next most cited reason was the burden of taxes and social insurance (59%). While Germany has extensive social security, the burden on the working generation is often debated. For families with children, the feeling that "even if income increases, take-home pay doesn't grow as expected" easily ties into future anxieties.


Additionally, many respondents noted that state family support is insufficient (48%), and **there are not enough childcare (Kita) slots (58%)**. This indicates that constraints related to "money," "places to leave children," and "ways of working" are recognized as the same issue.


The "childcare barrier" restricts work styles and cuts household budgets

The shortage of childcare slots narrows the option of "getting by with dual incomes." The article mentions that while childcare slots for children under three are about 15% short in the western regions, facilities are closing in the eastern regions due to declining birth rates.


This "shortage in the west, surplus/reduction in the east" twist has been a topic in recent research. For example, analysis by IW (German Economic Institute) points out the significant shortage in the west, with similar figures cited in reports.


When childcare supply cannot keep up, one parent (often the mother) is more likely to choose part-time work or leave their job, reducing household income. As a result, a cycle of "wanting children → but income decreases → no childcare → can't work more" occurs.


The survey also cited **income reduction due to parental leave/part-time work (40%)** as a reason.


Changing work styles to raise children should be natural, but when systems and supply shortages increase the cost of such changes, it puts a brake on the decision to have children.


Particularly strong "sense of impossibility" among those aged 30-49

The survey notes that INSA's director mentioned, "those aged 30-49 are particularly skeptical," with **over 60% seeing 'children as financially challenging'** in this age group.


The fact that the core generation for childbirth and child-rearing feels "impossible" is significant. If the mindset of those involved remains cold in a situation where birth rates have long been low, it will also impact long-term issues like population structure, labor force, and pensions.


SNS/Internet Reactions: Sympathy, Opposition, and the Scent of "Division"

 

This theme tends to divide opinions online. The reason is simple: "children" encompass values, life planning, and national perspectives.


1) The "Even with Dual Incomes, It's Tough" Group: Voices Nodding to the Numbers
On German-speaking forums and Reddit (r/de, etc.), experiences like "childcare costs eat up most of the salary," "take-home pay doesn't increase," and "housing costs are heavy" are repeatedly shared. For instance, discussions around the significant burden of Kita costs involve realistic debates about the proportion of household budgets and the reality of "being able/unable to have children."


2) The "Support Doesn't Reach Us" Group: Anger at System Design
In articles collecting readers' voices (BILD reader submissions), complaints like "support is cut off if income exceeds a certain level," "we bear the burden of taxes and social insurance but aren't rewarded," and "a second child is impossible" stand out. Meanwhile, counterarguments like "it's still a matter of priorities" are also published, showing the divided perceptions within the same society.


3) The "Priorities/Values" Group: Can It Be Done with Saving? Counterarguments
Online, opinions like "raising children involves sacrifices" and "children can be had if consumption is curbed" are also strong. This stance emphasizes "individual choice," but as factors like rent and childcare slots, which cannot be moved by individual efforts, grow larger, discussions tend to run parallel.


4) The "Society Is Harsh on Parents" Group: Including Mental Costs, It's Impossible
Beyond "amounts," the burden on parents, societal views, and the rigidity of work styles—these "less visible costs" also come up in discussions. On English-speaking r/germany, there have long been consultations like "I'm worried about having children in Germany," describing the complex interplay of living costs, housing, and future planning.


What Are "Effective Policies": Organizing the Issues into Three Points

It's easy to dismiss this issue as "a matter of parental determination." However, the survey results indicate a "structure" that cannot be solved by individual perseverance. The issues can be broadly summarized into three points.


(1) Reducing Fixed Costs: Stabilizing Housing, Energy, and Food Costs
Since the high cost of living is the biggest reason (81%), not only family policies but also housing and energy policies directly connect to "countermeasures against declining birth rates." The more unstable rent and utility costs are, the harder it is for households to imagine "an expanding family."


(2) "Regional Optimization" of Childcare Infrastructure: Addressing Both Western Shortages and Eastern Reductions
While filling shortages in the west, a design that goes beyond simple expansion is needed, such as "maintaining and repurposing infrastructure in the east that is starting to be surplus to prepare for future demand." Research and reports show the magnitude of regional differences and estimates of shortages.


(3) The "Gap" Problem Between Take-Home Pay and Support: Not Ignoring Middle-Class Dissatisfaction
As noted in BILD reader submissions, the design where "the more you earn, the more you are excluded from support" easily creates dissatisfaction.


Of course, redistribution is necessary, but if there is a social goal of "wanting to increase children," a system that smoothly supports disposable income during the child-rearing period (such as gradual attenuation according to income or expansion of in-kind benefits) will likely be discussed.


Public Opinion Survey as a "Warning"

This survey serves as a thermometer of society, indicating that "the current child-rearing generation is out of breath." When rising living costs, the burden of taxes and social insurance, support design, and childcare supply shortages all coincide, the decision to "have children" becomes not a "hope" but a "risk calculation."


Moreover, the reactions on SNS/Internet indicate not just an outburst of dissatisfaction.


The air is becoming one where the earnestness of "it's really impossible" clashes with the value of "it can be done with ingenuity," turning "becoming a parent" into a political and moral debate.


Discussions on birth rates tend to fall into a binary choice of "have" or "don't have." However, in reality, the focus should be on creating conditions where those who want to have children can do so. Now that public opinion has started saying "it's impossible" to this extent, Germany's family policy is being forced to redesign its systems and infrastructure, rather than just addressing a "matter of mood."


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