Child -rich families in Germany: immigration for the future?

Child -rich families in Germany: immigration for the future?

Many children, many challenges - this is how you could get the family situation in Germany in a nutshell. In 2024, every fourth child lived in a household with at least three siblings, which means an increase compared to previous years. This emerges from a current analysis published by the Federal Office. The increasing number of children -rich families has been closely related to immigration since 2015, which in many cases brings large families. These families particularly often belong to a migration background, which further shapes the life situation. Interestingly, it turns out that fewer and fewer children without siblings grow up, which reflects a fundamental change in society. News reports reports that ...

How is the situation specific? In Germany, a family with three or more children is considered children. This definition is not uniform, but there is clear data on the actually living conditions. Over 1 million families in Germany have three children, 210,000 four and around 75,000 even five or more children. About 172,000 families with three children live, especially in Baden-Württemberg. According to the statistics, around 10% of all families in Germany have three children, while only 2% of four or more children have. Statistics BW provides figures for this.

various life situations

The life models of these children's rich families are extremely diverse. This not only includes traditional family forms, but also patchwork families and single parents. It is particularly noteworthy that the migration background is very pronounced in many of these households. Almost half of the mothers and almost 50% of fathers with four or more children do not come from Germany. Your educational and professional opportunities are often less, which of course is based on the financial situation of the family.

Where is the trend going? While large mothers in Germany have a lower employment participation, this indicator in countries such as Denmark and Sweden is higher. In Germany, 24% of all pair families with three or more children are considered to be at risk of poverty, even if many live in economically secured conditions. The challenges for these families are often large, and prejudiced assumptions about their way of life, such as the inability to prevent or financial exploitation of the social system, are not uncommon. It is time to rethink these perspectives. [BMFSFJ points out these challenges] (https://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/service/gelebte- Vielfalt-familien-mit-migrations-in-in-deutschland-116882).

What does Rocco Thiede say, the father of six children and author of a book about life in large families? His work opens his eyes to the complex reality of this way of life. The media also react to this trend: a German television station is planning a documentary that focuses on this family -rich layer. The focus here is primarily on the challenges with which many of these families are confronted.

The discussion about the messages and the reality of life of large families illustrates that we, as a society, have to find new ways in order to respond to the needs and challenges of this particularly diverse family form. The next generation, which grows up in these children's -rich households, should get a fair chance of a happy and successful life.