A report by the Bundesbank, published on April 23rd, comments on Germany’s impending demographic decline and asserts that the German economy needs an additional 200,000 immigrants every year (vs. 177,300 in 2011). The 200,000 annual influx would amount to 0.24% of the existing population, less than the usual 0.32% taken in by the US every year, but in line with the exceptionally low US immigration total in 2011. Because of the weak economy, the US took in only 703,000 immigrants in 2011, down from a more typical 1 million.
The report outlines other measures needed to compensate for the country’s demographic decline, including postponing the retirement age beyond the current age of 67 and facilitating child care for working parents.
It is not the first time that the Bundesbank models the effect of increased immigration on the German economy. In a May 2011 report, the central bank had analyzed three separate scenarios with immigrants numbering 50,000, 100,000 and 200,000.