[owen_griffiths]

"Germany has vastly expanded their economy since 1970, while adding zero additional people"

It's a different kettle of fish when more of the people are retired and living on generous tax-payer pensions, and less are working.

[eru]

And I don't think the working age population has stayed the same, even if the general population might have.

The effective population changed quite a bit, too: first fall of the wall, later integration of eastern central Europe into the German economy.