The number of shareholders in Germany rose by a good 800,000 to 12.9 million last year.

This was announced by Deutsches Aktieninstitut on Tuesday.

The record from 2001 was just surpassed.

After the internet bubble burst on the stock market at the time, the number of shareholders had fallen to 8.4 million by 2010.

Daniel Mohr

Editor in Business.

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The recent increase is mainly due to young new shareholders.

Accordingly, the number of shareholders between the ages of 14 and 29 increased by 600,000 to 2.1 million.

The number of stock savers aged 30 to 39 also increased significantly by 300,000 to 2 million.

However, there was a decline in the large group of shareholders aged 60 and over.

Their number fell by 300,000 to 3.7 million.

The young shareholders on the stock exchange primarily use the savings plan as a vehicle for saving in shares, and this often in exchange-traded index funds.

“The young newcomers to the stock exchange know how it works.

You invest broadly, regularly and have staying power, ”said the stock institute.

“70 percent of investors under the age of 35 invest their money in shares via a savings plan.

The most important investment motive for young people is long-term asset accumulation (77 percent).”

The data from the Aktieninstitut are based on surveys by the Kantar Institute.

In twelve waves last year, 28,000 people aged 14 and over were asked about their investment behavior, half in person and the other half online.

More women are entering the stock market

This also makes it possible to differentiate by gender, place of residence and income.

In 2022, for example, women's interest in the stock market rose above average.

Their number increased by 482,000, that of men only by 338,000.

Overall, however, many more men are still invested in equities than women.

8.1 million to 4.7 million.

Baden-Württemberg has the highest proportion of shareholders at 24.5 percent, followed by Bavaria, where 23.5 percent of the population from the age of 14 is invested in shares.

It is followed by Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg with 20.2 percent and Saxony with 18.3 percent.

Bringing up the rear is Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where only 7.9 percent of people are invested in shares.

The national average has risen to 18.3 percent.

This is the highest level since 2001, but not a new record.

On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the population has grown since then, but on the other hand, it is also due to a change in the survey methodology, which used to only include German citizens, but now also includes other nationalities living in Germany.

This has increased the number of shareholders by around 500,000.

There is also no record for the number of direct shareholders.

In 2000, there were still 6.2 million direct individual shares, a million more people than today.

Above all, the third tranche of Deutsche Telekom's IPO, which was placed at the time, led to a sharp increase in the number of shareholders - not a wise choice, as the subsequent fall in the share price showed.

Most rely on funds

Today, significantly more people are invested in equity funds and ETFs than back then.

Their number rose by 1.6 million to 10.5 million last year alone.

Around three quarters of savers in equity funds and mixed funds with equities entrust their money to a fund manager and thus rely on funds that are described as active.

A seventh, however, only trusts ETFs that replicate a stock index and are therefore referred to as passive funds.

A tenth of savers rely on both actively managed funds and ETFs.

The ETF share is significantly higher among younger savers.

Overall, the 50-59 age cohort is most involved in the stock market, with 23 percent holding stocks.

It is 21 percent of the 40 to 49 year olds and 19 percent of the 30 to 39 year olds.

The proportion of people aged 20 to 29 has jumped from 13 to 18 percent.

It is therefore also higher than for people aged 60 and over.

You are only 16 percent invested in shares.

Among the 14 to 19 year olds it is now a good 7 percent after 4.5 percent in the previous year.

Shareholdership is also strongly correlated with income.

The higher the income, the higher the proportion of shareholders.

With a net income of more than 4000 euros per month, the shareholder quota is 46 percent.

The fact that stocks are not just for the rich is proven by the group that contains the most shareholders in absolute terms: a good 4 million shareholders have an income of between 2,000 and 3,000 euros.

Even with a monthly net income of 1,000 to 2,000 euros, a good 3 million people still save in shares.

"2022 was a very good year for the equity culture in Germany," says Christine Bortenlänger, head of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

"New shareholders used the price corrections to enter the stock market, while experienced investors remained invested." Bortenlänger warns: "Despite all the joy about the many new investors in shares, share funds or ETFs, one must not forget that still too few people in Germany participate in the attractive returns of share savings.

It is therefore important that the federal government ambitiously implements the generational capital presented last week, a capital stock to support the statutory pension.

However, the start-up financing of ten billion euros must not remain a one-off amount,