Despite the demographic development, the number of people entitled to study in Germany has risen by 3.5 percent compared to the previous year.
A total of around 395,000 schoolchildren obtained a university or technical college entrance qualification last year, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Monday in Wiesbaden.
"The main reason for this increase is the sharp increase in Lower Saxony due to the return to the nine-year course at high schools," it said.
Previously, the phasing out of G8 in 2020 resulted in significantly lower numbers.
This effect has now been removed.
Without the special development in Lower Saxony, there would be a decline of two percent across Germany.
This goes hand in hand with the demographic development: According to the statisticians, the number of 17 to 19 year olds in Germany fell by three percent at the end of the year compared to the previous year.
According to the information, almost 80 percent of all those entitled to study acquired the general or subject-specific higher education entrance qualification.
About 20 percent attained the advanced technical college entrance qualification.
The proportion of women increased slightly to 54.1 percent in 2021, compared to 53.7 percent a year earlier.