BERLIN, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Germany's population will grow significantly in the coming two decades due to rising fertility rates and migration, Funke media group reported on Tuesday with reference to a study by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW).
According to the study, the number of German inhabitants will grow by more than a million compared to 2015 to reach over 83.1 million in 2035.
The demographic increase will be particularly pronounced in metropolitan centers such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The German capital is estimated to count 4 million inhabitants by 2035, an increase of 500,000 or 14.5 percent from 2015.
Munich and Hamburg are predicted to witness 14.5 percent and 9 percent population growth respectively until 2035.
In stark contrast, steep population declines are forecast for the Eastern German states of Saxony-Anhalt (minus 10.6 percent) and Thuringia (minus 10.2 percent).
Nevertheless, the "long-anticipated decline" in Germany's population was "clearly failing to materialize," the study said.
The key drivers behind the trend towards growth were rising fertility rates, as well as migration. Following the mass arrival of refugees from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan in 2015, the IW researchers believed that immigration will continue to surpass earlier expectations in years to come.
