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Thuringia Outpaces Germany on Growth as Demographic Decline Deepens

Officials say resilient growth contrasts with population losses threatening services.

Overview

  • The Statistical Yearbook 2025 reports Thuringia’s real GDP rose 0.6% in the first half, outperforming a national trend that slipped 0.1% in the second quarter after 0.3% growth in the first.
  • Overall business revenues in the state increased by 1.3%, with export‑dependent industries such as automotive suppliers and mechanical engineering seeing declines while the timber sector gained.
  • New business formations with at least two employees jumped 21%, which officials described as a hopeful sign of underlying entrepreneurial momentum.
  • The population fell by about 14,600 over the past year, reflecting a daily average of 32 births versus 83 deaths, a gap officials say migration cannot close.
  • Net inward migration remained positive at roughly 4,500 but continued to shrink, prompting warnings of long‑term strains on childcare, schools and equal living conditions in sparsely populated rural areas.