Economy, incentives and migrants give Germany baby boom

BERLIN (Reuters) - More babies were born in Germany in 2016 than in any year since 1996, thanks to a booming economy, government incentives and a surge in migration, data showed on Wednesday.

Europe's biggest economy and its public pension system are struggling with a rapid ageing of the population. In an effort to boost the birth rate, the government has expanded maternity and paternity benefits as well as childcare in the last decade.