The lunar cycle, sunspots and the frequency of births in Germany, 1920–1989

► We use a huge sample covering almost the entire German population born between 1920 and 1989. ► The frequency of births in Germany is not related to the lunar cycle. ► There is weak evidence that births are apparently related to the number of sunspots. ► The effect of the solar cycle on births is small. Based on multivariate linear regression models, we analyze the effect of the lunar cycle and the number of sunspots occurring on a particular day on the number of births using social security data and controlling for a number of other potential confounders. The daily numbers of births between 1920 and 1989 have been calculated from the full sample of individuals who have been registered at least once in the German social security system. While the lunar cycle does not affect the number of births, the number of sunspots is positively correlated to the number of births. The empirical results may be explained by medical technological progress making natural influences on births less important over time. This interpretation is supported by the results on the intertemporal influence of weekends and holidays on the frequency of daily births.