COLOGNE, Germany, April 26 (UPI) -- Some of Germany's cities will beat the national trend for population decline, according to a new study.
Frankfurt, Germany's bustling business capital, will grow by nearly 10 percent due to migration over the next three decades, beating the national trend of low birth rates, according to a demographical study conducted by the University of Cologne.
Despite below-average fertility rates in nearly all German cities, by 2040 Frankfurt's population will grow from 654,000 to 719,000, because of migration from other parts of Germany and from outside the country, the study said.
Two cities that will also see slight growth are Hanover (northern Germany) and Stuttgart (south-western Germany).
The eastern German cities of Leipzig and Dresden, and the Ruhr capital Dortmund, on the other hand, will lose a substantial slice of their population. Experts say the population loss for small cities in eastern Germany will be even worse.
Germany is suffering from low birth and fertility rates, which will cause a substantial drop in population if the trend is not reversed.
In 2005, fewer children were born in Germany than in any year since World War II, according to government figures released earlier this year.
Germany's right-left coalition government plans to implement several measures making it easier for young German women to juggle careers and children, such as introducing all-day schools and making kindergartens free of charge.
Federal Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven, has recently lashed out at German women: The government's family report, released Tuesday, claims they are not working as much as they should because they're too busy enjoying themselves, according to the Rheinische Post newspaper.
