Remote Work Can Boost Birth Rates: New ifo Study Reveals Surprising Effect

1.32 children: that is the average number of children a woman in Germany brings into the world (Federal Statistical Office, July 2026). In 2025, 654,300 children were born in Germany – a decrease of 3.4 percent compared to the previous year and the lowest level since 1946. Demographers and policymakers are searching for levers to stop this trend. A new study now offers a surprising approach: working from home.

14 percent higher birth rate thanks to remote work

The study by the ifo Institute in cooperation with Stanford University concludes that the birth rate in households with at least one day of home office per week is on average 14 percent higher than in households without work from home. When both partners work remotely, the effect is greatest. Mathias Dolls, deputy director of the ifo Center for Public Finance, explains: "More flexibility through working from home could help people to realise their desired family size more easily."

Data base: over 19,000 respondents worldwide

The "Work from Home and Fertility" study (CESifo Working Paper 12533) is based on data from the Global Survey of Working Arrangements in 38 countries. More than 19,000 people were surveyed, including over 11,300 of childbearing age between 20 and 45. A separate survey in the US collected nearly 90,000 responses on recent births, current pregnancies and desired family size.

The researchers examined three fertility measures: realised fertility from 2023 to 2025 (including current pregnancies), planned future births and lifetime fertility – i.e. the sum of children already born and still planned.

13,500 additional births per year possible

Raising Germany's home office rate to US levels could, according to the researchers' calculations, result in around 13,500 additional births per year in Germany. That is not a quantum leap given the demographic challenges – but a significant building block.

More weekly home office days do not automatically lead to even more births. The decisive factor is the availability of flexibility, not its maximum exploitation.

What does this mean for employers?

Companies face the balancing act between office presence and flexible working models. The study delivers a new argument for a modern remote work policy: flexible work is not just a work-life-balance benefit, but can also produce long-term demographic effects.

For HR teams, this means:

• Strategic positioning: communicate remote work as family-friendliness and anchor it in the employer branding strategy.
• Targeted messaging: parents and parents-to-be are specifically attracted when companies offer flexible models.
• Home office equipment: ensure the technical and ergonomic set-up at home enables productive work – a field in which onyo supports companies.

The study does not prove sole causality

It should be noted that rising births cannot be attributed to home office alone. People wanting children may specifically seek jobs with remote work options. Nevertheless, the correlation is robust and demonstrable across many countries. The mere possibility of working from home will not stop demographic change on its own – but it can noticeably mitigate the trend of declining birth rates.

Conclusion: remote work as a societal lever

The ifo study shows that home office is far more than a temporary trend or a pure HR topic. It is a societal lever with the potential to better reconcile family planning and professional life. For companies that want to win and retain the best talent, providing flexible working models is therefore not just nice-to-have – it is strategically necessary.

Sources

• Aksoy C., Barrero J., Bloom N. et al.: "Work from Home and Fertility", CESifo Working Paper 12533, March 2026.
• ifo Institute: "Couples working from home have more children", press release from 18 March 2026.
• Federal Statistical Office (Destatis): "Number of births falls to lowest post-war level in 2025", press release No. 146, April 2026.
• Federal Statistical Office (Destatis): "Total fertility rate falls to 1.32 children per woman in 2025", press release No. 230, July 2026.