Gender entry changes in Germany decline after initial surge
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More than 31,000 people in Germany have used the Self-Determination Act to change their legal gender entries since the law took effect.
The law made it easier for people to update their gender status by requiring only a declaration to a registry office. While the initial demand for these changes was high, a spokesperson for the city of Rostock reported that the numbers have since leveled off.
In Rostock, 109 people used the law in the final two months of 2024, but that number dropped to 72 for the entire year of 2025 and to 56 so far in 2026. Data from the Federal Statistical Office shows a similar trend across the country. After a peak of 10,589 changes in the final two months of 2024, the total for the year of 2025 fell to 15,688.
In the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 42 percent of people who changed their status in 2025 moved from female to male, while 27 percent moved from male to female.
