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Business, work and life in Germany in English

List of the major and largest German cities by population and occupied area, cities with a population of 1 million or more (million-plus), the largest cities of the country

This page provides a list of the largest cities in Germany regarding their population and area. You will find out which cities in the country are million-plus cities, metropolitan areas and will be able to view a list of all the big cities in Germany, sorted by city population size. Besides, our website contains a List of all the cities in Germany ordered alphabetically.


§ Germany's largest city - the capital city of Berlin

The largest city in the country is Berlin (in German: Berlin), the capital of Germany. As of 2018 the population of Berlin totals 3'613'495 people; of which 1'776'267 are men and 1'837'228 are women. Berlin covers an area equal to 891 square kilometers. The city of Berlin is one of the most densely populated cities in Germany, with 4'055 people per 1 square kilometer.

§ German metropolitan areas

A metropolitan area is a union of one big city (urban core) and several smaller cities (townships) sharing economic and transport infrastructure.

In Germany, large cities surrounded by large settlements are not assigned the metropolitan area status. Nevertheless, there are several large cities in the country that fit the definition of a metropolitan area and make up multi-million localities. The metropolitan area population size is represented in millions of people and sorted by the population of the metropolitan area.

Table 1. German metropolitan areas as of 2018.

City name in English City name in German City population size,
million people
Metropolitan area population size*,
million people
DortmundDortmund0.65.6
EssenEssen0.65.6
BerlinBerlin3.64.4
HamburgHamburg1.82.6
MunichMünchen1.52.0
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main0.71.9
CologneKöln1.11.9
StuttgartStuttgart0.61.8
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf0.61.2
NurembergNürnberg0.51.2
HanoverHannover0.51.1
LeipzigLeipzig0.61.1
BremenBremen0.60.9
DresdenDresden0.60.8

* - The population of the city and surrounding territories and cities, rough estimate.

§ Metropolitan regions (in German: Metropolregionen), metropolitan cities of Germany

A metropolitan city is a union of several large cities or metropolitan areas that form one densely populated region.

In Germany, densely populated areas of the country are not assigned the status of a metropolitan city, however, the Ministerial Conference for Spatial Planning (MKRO) has identified several metropolitan regions of Europe, which we consider here as metropolitan cities, that, as of 2017, include the regions of Germany presented in Table 2. The largest of them is the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, with the population size exceeding 10 million people.

Table 2. Metropolitan cities, metropolitan regions of Germany.

Metropolitan city name, in English Metropolitan city name, in German Large cities belonging to the metropolitan city Population size of the region, million people Occupied area, km2
Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan regionRhein-RuhrCologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Wuppertal, Bonn, Mönchengladbach, Gelsenkirchen, Krefeld, Oberhausen, Hagen, Hamm10.687268
Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan regionMetropolregion Berlin/BrandenburgBerlin, Potsdam, Cottbus, Brandenburg an der Havel, Frankfurt (Oder)6.0030375
Munich metropolitan regionMetropolregion MünchenMunich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Landshut, Rosenheim, Freising5.7024677
Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan regionMetropolregion Frankfurt/Rhein-MainFrankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, Offenbach am Main, Hanau, Giessen, Aschaffenburg5.5514755
Stuttgart metropolitan regionMetropolregion StuttgartStuttgart, Heilbronn, Reutlingen, Ludwigsburg, Esslingen am Neckar, Tübingen5.2015429
Hamburg metropolitan regionMetropolregion HamburgHamburg, Lübeck, Schwerin, Neumünster, Norderstedt, Lüneburg, Wismar5.0026078
Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg metropolitan regionMetropolregion Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-WolfsburgHanover, Braunschweig, Wolfsburg, Göttingen, Salzgitter, Hildesheim, Celle3.7818578
Nuremberg metropolitan regionMetropolregion NürnbergNuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Coburg3.4521349
Rhine-Neckar metropolitan regionMetropolregion Rhein-NeckarMannheim, Ludwigshafen, Heidelberg, Worms, Neustadt an der Weinstraße2.315638
Bremen/Oldenburg metropolitan regionMetropolregion Bremen/OldenburgBremen, Bremerhaven, Delmenhorst, Wilhelmshaven2.0013749
Central German metropolitan regionMetropolregion MitteldeutschlandLeipzig, Chemnitz, Halle, Jena, Gera, Zwickau, Dessau-Roßlau2.002000

§ Million-plus or million-strong cities in Germany

Despite the fact that in Germany there are a number of large metropolitan areas and even metropolitan cities, only 4 cities in the country are million-plus or million-strong cities, whose population size exceeds one million people. Table 3 below features these cities and the number of people residing there, with the population size figures rounded to millions.

Table 3. Million-plus cities of Germany

City name in English City name in German City population size,
million people
BerlinBerlin3.6
HamburgHamburg1.8
CologneKöln1.1
MunichMünchen1.5

§ Germany's largest cities by population size

The largest cities of the country include those whose population size exceeds one hundred thousand people; there are 80 such cities in Germany. Table 4 presents a list of data on the largest cities in terms of their population size, with the number of city residents rounded to thousands.

Table 4. Germany's largest cities by population size.

City name in English City name in German City population size,
people
BerlinBerlin3'614'000
HamburgHamburg1'831'000
MunichMünchen1'457'000
CologneKöln1'081'000
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main747'000
StuttgartStuttgart633'000
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf618'000
DortmundDortmund587'000
EssenEssen584'000
LeipzigLeipzig582'000
BremenBremen569'000
DresdenDresden552'000
HanoverHannover536'000
NurembergNürnberg516'000
DuisburgDuisburg499'000
BochumBochum366'000
WuppertalWuppertal354'000
BielefeldBielefeld333'000
BonnBonn326'000
MünsterMünster314'000
KarlsruheKarlsruhe312'000
MannheimMannheim308'000
AugsburgAugsburg293'000
WiesbadenWiesbaden279'000
MönchengladbachMönchengladbach263'000
GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen261'000
BraunschweigBraunschweig249'000
KielKiel248'000
ChemnitzChemnitz247'000
AachenAachen247'000
HalleHalle (Saale)240'000
MagdeburgMagdeburg239'000
Freiburg im BreisgauFreiburg im Breisgau230'000
KrefeldKrefeld227'000
LübeckLübeck217'000
MainzMainz216'000
ErfurtErfurt213'000
OberhausenOberhausen212'000
RostockRostock209'000
KasselKassel201'000
HagenHagen188'000
SaarbrückenSaarbrücken181'000
HammHamm180'000
PotsdamPotsdam176'000
MülheimMülheim an der Ruhr172'000
LudwigshafenLudwigshafen am Rhein169'000
OldenburgOldenburg168'000
OsnabrückOsnabrück165'000
LeverkusenLeverkusen164'000
HeidelbergHeidelberg161'000
SolingenSolingen159'000
DarmstadtDarmstadt159'000
HerneHerne157'000
NeussNeuss154'000
RegensburgRegensburg151'000
PaderbornPaderborn150'000
IngolstadtIngolstadt136'000
Offenbach am MainOffenbach am Main127'000
WürzburgWürzburg127'000
FürthFürth127'000
UlmUlm126'000
HeilbronnHeilbronn126'000
PforzheimPforzheim125'000
WolfsburgWolfsburg124'000
GöttingenGöttingen120'000
BottropBottrop118'000
ReutlingenReutlingen116'000
KoblenzKoblenz114'000
RecklinghausenRecklinghausen114'000
BremerhavenBremerhaven114'000
Bergisch GladbachBergisch Gladbach112'000
JenaJena112'000
ErlangenErlangen111'000
RemscheidRemscheid111'000
TrierTrier111'000
SalzgitterSalzgitter105'000
MoersMoers104'000
SiegenSiegen103'000
HildesheimHildesheim102'000
CottbusCottbus102'000

§ A comprehensive list of Germany's large cities by occupied area

We consider cities with an area of more than 200 square kilometers to be large cities in the country; there are 82 such cities in Germany. Table 5 features a list of the cities by the area they occupy.

Table 5. Cities of Germany by area.

City name in English City name in German City area,
km2
City population size,
people
Population density,
people per km2
BerlinBerlin8913'614'0004'055
HamburgHamburg7551'831'0002'424
GardelegenGardelegen63223'00036
MöckernMöckern52313'00025
ZerbstZerbst/Anhalt46822'00046
WittstockWittstock/Dosse42015'00034
CologneKöln4051'081'0002'668
TemplinTemplin37916'00042
Neustadt am RübenbergeNeustadt am Rübenberge35844'000122
GeestlandGeestland35631'00087
Jessen (Elster)Jessen (Elster)35215'00040
DresdenDresden328552'0001'678
RheinsbergRheinsberg3289'00025
AngermündeAngermünde32414'00043
BremenBremen317569'0001'787
MunichMünchen3101'457'0004'686
NeuruppinNeuruppin30531'000101
SalzwedelSalzwedel30425'00079
MünsterMünster303314'0001'034
SchmallenbergSchmallenberg30325'00082
LeipzigLeipzig297582'0001'954
Coswig, Saxony-AnhaltCoswig (Anhalt)29512'00041
TangerhütteTangerhütte29411'00037
BismarkBismark (Altmark)2899'00029
DortmundDortmund280587'0002'090
KlötzeKlötze27811'00036
Bad BerleburgBad Berleburg27520'00071
WalsrodeWalsrode27224'00085
KalbeKalbe (Milde)2728'00028
Oberharz am BrockenOberharz am Brocken27111'00039
ErfurtErfurt269213'000789
JerichowJerichow2697'00026
ArendseeArendsee (Altmark)2697'00025
StendalStendal26840'000149
NauenNauen26818'00066
BielefeldBielefeld258333'0001'285
MelleMelle25347'000183
Oebisfelde-WeferlingenOebisfelde-Weferlingen24914'00055
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main248747'0003'008
FriesoytheFriesoythe24723'00090
Dessau-RoßlauDessau-Roßlau24483'000335
WittenbergWittenberg24047'000192
Bad BelzigBad Belzig23612'00047
KembergKemberg23510'00042
SchneverdingenSchneverdingen23419'00079
Baruth/MarkBaruth/Mark2335'00018
DuisburgDuisburg232499'0002'140
EinbeckEinbeck23131'000133
GenthinGenthin23015'00061
Brandenburg an der HavelBrandenburg an der Havel22972'000313
Osterburg (Altmark)Osterburg (Altmark)22910'00043
BrilonBrilon22926'000111
HammHamm226180'000791
WittingenWittingen22512'00051
SalzgitterSalzgitter224105'000466
AnnaburgAnnaburg2247'00030
ZehdenickZehdenick22314'00060
ChemnitzChemnitz221247'0001'117
MeschedeMeschede21831'000138
GrimmaGrimma21829'000129
DüsseldorfDüsseldorf217618'0002'839
GrafenwöhrGrafenwöhr2167'00029
LübeckLübeck214217'0001'010
Fürstenberg/HavelFürstenberg/Havel2136'00027
OsterwieckOsterwieck21212'00053
TreuenbrietzenTreuenbrietzen2128'00035
PetershagenPetershagen21126'000119
EssenEssen210584'0002'774
WittmundWittmund21021'00097
KremmenKremmen2098'00036
HarenHaren (Ems)20824'000113
StuttgartStuttgart207633'0003'052
LuckauLuckau20710'00047
SangerhausenSangerhausen20727'000129
SchwedtSchwedt/Oder20531'000146
HanoverHannover204536'0002'619
WolfsburgWolfsburg204124'000606
WiesbadenWiesbaden203279'0001'367
SoltauSoltau20322'000104
SprembergSpremberg20223'000111
MagdeburgMagdeburg201239'0001'186
SondershausenSondershausen20122'000108

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