Overview
- On 1 March 2025, 4.059 million children were in formal day‑care, down by 33,800 or 0.8% year over year, according to the federal statistics office.
- The number of children under three in care declined by about 47,100 to 801,300, marking a second consecutive annual drop for this age group.
- Despite fewer children, the under‑three care rate edged up to 37.8% because the overall population of under‑threes fell faster than those enrolled.
- Kitas and staffing continued to grow, with roughly 61,000 facilities nationwide and 795,700 employees, an increase of 17,500 or 2.2%.
- Publicly funded childminders decreased for the fifth year in a row to 37,400 (−5.9%), regional gaps persisted between East (54.9%) and West (34.5%) care rates, and Berlin reported more than 30,000 unfilled approved places.