Different demographic developments are observed in eastern and western Germany. The reasons are complex, but the migration patterns of the two regions have a major impact.
In eastern Germany, they contribute to population decline and rapid population ageing. In western Germany, they have a slowing effect on population ageing and contribute to a higher proportion of people with a migrant background. This is due both to the east-west migration within Germany and to different external migration patterns (across Germany’s borders) in the two regions.
The figure shows the migration between the new Länder (East) with/without Berlin and the old Länder (West).