FRANKFURT, (Germany): Germany’s birth rate has plummeted as worries about the economy, the Ukraine war and the Covid pandemic saw families put off having children, a think-tank said on Wednesday.

Natality fell to 1.35 children per woman last year, compared to 1.58 in 2021, with the biggest decline seen in the formerly communist-ruled eastern states.

The number of births in Europe’s biggest economy tumbled from 795,000 in 2021 to 693,000 in 2023, a slump of almost 13 percent, according to research from the Ifo institute.

It noted a “disproportionate decline” of 17.5 percent in eastern German states.

“The coronavirus crisis, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and the subsequent drop in real income due to high inflation have clearly prompted many young families to put off having children for the time being,” said Ifo’s Joachim Ragnitz.