Population in the district: Where communities thrive and where they struggle!

Population in the district: Where communities thrive and where they struggle!

A lot is happening in the Ludwigslust-Parchim region, as the district's current demographic report shows. Strong differences between the communities are clearly visible: While some places like Hagenow are flourishing, others, like the Goldberg-Mildenitz district, are struggling with declining population numbers. These developments not only pose challenges for local administrations, but also hit residents' everyday lives hard. According to Nordkurier, Hagenow recorded an impressive increase of 9.1 percent between 2013 and 2023. You are well positioned there: a stable influx of people, good transport connections and a healthy infrastructure make the place attractive.

In contrast, things look bleaker in the Goldberg-Mildenitz office. The drastic decline of 8.6 percent of the population is due to negative natural population development - that is, more people died than were born. The low immigration numbers also reinforce this unfavorable situation. Rural regions in the east of the district in particular are at risk and run the risk of being left behind.

The bigger perspective

If you look beyond the district, a very similar picture emerges in Germany. According to Destatis, around 60 million people - i.e. 71 percent of the population - now live in large urban areas. These areas are continually growing, while rural regions struggle with age-related migration and stagnating birth rates. The age structure is a decisive factor: While the average age in the centers of large cities is 42.6 years, in the surrounding areas it has already risen to 44.6 years.

Younger adults, particularly those aged 18 to 24, prefer to move to cities, while older adults aged 30 to 49 are increasingly losing out to the surrounding areas, where more stable living conditions and possibly better housing options are available. This binary development is not only an urban phenomenon, but also directly affects the quality of life locally.

Demographic change as a challenge

In addition to immigration, demographic change plays a crucial role in citizens' everyday lives. Data from Statista shows that Germany's population is not only aging, but also shrinking. In 2023, there were almost 700,000 newborns and around 1 million deaths, resulting in a devastating birth balance of over 300,000 more deaths than births. The old age dependency ratio, the ratio of older people to employed people, is another warning signal. In East Germany this already stands at a worrying 48 people over the age of 65 for every 100 employable people.

The changing age distribution - more and more older people meet fewer and fewer young people - poses major challenges, especially for the pension system. The baby boomer generation will soon reach retirement age and will continue to influence the balance in the social structure. It will therefore not be an easy task to overcome this uneven development.

In order to meet these challenges and obtain the opinions of the population, there is now the opportunity to take part in the Home Check. This not only initiates a dialogue, but also gives the chance to win cash prizes - an interesting initiative that can actively shape community life!

Overall, it remains to be seen how these developments will affect the reality of life for people in Ludwigslust-Parchim. There can be no “business as usual”; Every community must become creative and active in order to defy the challenges of demographics and guarantee its residents a future worth living.