CRUDE BIRTH RATE
The crude birth rate in Germany is among the lowest in the entire world, barely over 8.0 per 1000 people. This low birth rate is due to factors such as children being an economic burden, and as such prospective parents elect to have less children. The crude birth rate in the Congo, however, is very high compared to Germany, at about 35.0 per 1000 people. This high birth rate has remained from times when the infant mortality rate was much higher in the Congo, and parents had to have more children to replace them, and to work in rural areas.
CRUDE DEATH RATE
The crude death rate in Germany is about 10.5 per 1000 people, which is similar to the Congo, but exceeds the German crude birth rate, causing a sharp decline in population growth, and a movement towards negative population growth in Germany. The crude death rate in the Congo is almost the same, at about 10.3 per 1000 people. The death rate in the Congo has sharply fallen in recent years with increased access to modern medicine and more efficient agricultural methods. However, their death rate is about 1/3 of their birth rate, and this alludes to a rapid increase in population growth.
IMMIGRATION RATE
The immigration rate to Germany is fairly high, at about 2.1/1000 people. Many people immigrate to Germany because of their stable economy and job market, and the German government encourages immigration due to labor shortages among the native German population. In very recent days the immigration rate has increased due to various global conflicts that displace large amounts of people. While many may immigrate to Germany, it is not enough to stop the slowing of German population growth. The Congo has a very low immigration rate, at -0.33 per 1000 people. Reasons for the negative immigration rate include a weak economy and uncertainty of employment, as well as various regional conflicts. Because of the negative immigration rate, all of the population growth in the Congo is due to native births.
EMIGRATION RATE
The emigration rate from Germany is very low, at 0.9 per 1000 people. The immigration rate entirely overtakes the emigration rate, meaning that migration has increased population in Germany, rather than decrease it. The German economy is very stable, and as such, people are not willing to leave the country for purely economic reasons, unlike most other countries with high emigration rates. The Congo, however, has a high emigration rate, with many Congolese leaving the country in search of economic opportunities, or because of present conflicts in the Congo. While many leave the country, the effect of emigration on the population of the Congo is quite low, because the population is growing at such a rapid rate.
INFANT MORTALITY RATE
The infant mortality rate in Germany is very low, at 3.46/ 1000 births. The reason for this low infant mortality rate is the advanced healthcare available in Germany, as well as the proper sustenance that German infants receive. Because of this low infant mortality rate, parents are less inclined to have multiple children, because the initial ones that they have are very likely to survive to their reproductive ages. The infant mortality rate in the Congo, however, is very high in comparison, at 73.15/1000 births, while it has been falling over recent years, the infant mortality rate is still high because of factors such as less access to healthcare in secluded rural areas, and malnutrition. Because the infant mortality rate is high, parents elect to have many more children in order to ensure that some of their children survive to their reproductive ages. As such, the crude birth rate increases, and the population growth increases rapidly.
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE
The Total Fertility Rate in Germany is among the world's lowest, at 1.38 births per woman. One reason for this extremely low rate is that in Germany the cost of raising a child is much higher than in other places of the world, making woman less likely to have children. An effect of this low fertility rate is the overall slowing of German population growth. In the Congo, however, the Total Fertility Rate is much higher, at 6.04 births per woman. A reason for this high fertility rate would be that in the Congo, the majority of the population still live in rural areas, with higher infant mortality rates, as well as low female employment. This leads to women getting married at very young ages, and having a longer period to have children, as well as the incentive to produce offspring that can contribute to agricultural work.
REPLACEMENT-LEVEL FERTILITY RATE
The replacement level fertility rate in Germany is 2.1 children per woman. This is the lowest that replacement level fertility can be to ensure that the population remains stagnant. However, the total fertility rate of Germany is lower than this, at 1.38 children per woman. Because of this, German parents are not having enough children to fully replace their generation, leading to a decline in population. The replacement level fertility rate in the Congo, however, is much higher, at 4.66 children per woman. It is high because of factors such as high infant mortality rate, and factors such as disease, malnutrition, and conflict affecting large portions of the population. Because it is high, prospective parents in the Congo have many more children in order to ensure that they have children that survive to reproductive ages, and this leads to rapid population growth as the death rate decreases.