WIESBADEN -- September 01, 2026 -- Germans in their twenties face starkly different dating odds depending on their age, according to new population data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). At the end of 2025, there were only 912 women for every 1,000 men aged 18 to 29 nationwide, the sharpest gender gap of any age group. That imbalance flips dramatically later in life: among people 65 and older, there were 1,260 women for every 1,000 men.
The pattern holds for younger age brackets too. Among those under 18, there were 947 women per 1,000 men, and among 30- to 49-year-olds, 969 women per 1,000 men. Destatis attributed part of the gap to biology -- about 5% more boys than girls are born each year -- and part to migration patterns, since somewhat more men than women have moved to Germany.
Longevity flips the balance after 50
Once people pass 50, the numbers reverse. Destatis linked this shift mainly to women's longer average lifespan, compounded by higher rates of men moving away from certain regions. Among 50- to 64-year-olds, there were 1,011 women per 1,000 men. Overall, Germany counts 1,027 women for every 1,000 men across the entire population.
Regional gaps run deepest in the east
Women outnumbered men in every one of Germany's 16 states, but by very different margins. The gap was widest in Schleswig-Holstein, with 1,044 women per 1,000 men, followed closely by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1,043) and Hamburg (1,042). Baden-Württemberg had the most balanced ratio at 1,016 women per 1,000 men, with Bavaria (1,017) and Bremen (1,019) close behind.
Among 18- to 29-year-olds specifically, men outnumbered women in every state, but the shortage of young women was most acute in Saxony-Anhalt, where there were just 856 women per 1,000 men, followed by Brandenburg (862) and Thuringia (867).
An East German exodus still shapes the numbers
The male surplus among 50- to 64-year-olds appeared only in the five eastern states -- a legacy, Destatis said, of young women leaving the east for western Germany after 1991. By the time residents reach 65 and older, every state showed a strong female majority, with the widest gaps in Saxony-Anhalt (1,336 women per 1,000 men), Saxony (1,328), and Hamburg (1,328).
Destatis based the figures on Germany's 2022 census, updating them yearly using birth, death, and migration records reported by local registry offices.