Sunshine in Germany: the number of sunny days, hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by year, season, month, and also by federated state
§ Hours of sunshine annual quantity in Germany
According to the German Meteorological Service, aka the German Weather Service (DWD), in 2022 the annual quantity of hours of sunshine in Germany totalled 2'024 hours, which means that the national average for the year was hours of sunshine a day or 169 full sunny days.
To calculate the number of full sunny days per year, we divide the quantity of sunshine hours by 12, and to get the sunshine hours average quantity per day, we divide it by 365.
The sunshine duration in Germany in 2022: 2'024 hours.
§ How to estimate, appreciate the meaning of the indicator value as to the hours of sunshine quantity per year?
At present, in Germany, the time when the sun is shining is recorded in minutes of the beam solar radiation (clear sky, allowing sunlight in the place of measurements) over a certain period of time in a certain place. The solar radiation duration is affected by the climatic zone, cloudiness, smog availability, terrain, season, and other factors. On average, from 1,300 to 1,900 hours of sunshine are registered in the country per year, with the average figure thus being equal to 1,600 hours per year.
To calculate the number of full sunny days per year, we divide the quantity of sunshine hours by 12, and to get the average quantity of sunshine hours per day, we divide it by 365. Of course, the figures obtained are averaged and do not provide accurate data regarding the actual number of sunny days per year.
For reference, Table 1 below features the data on the sunshine hours average quantity in different cities around the world. The data were taken from the WeatherOnline Ltd. Weather Service tables for the period from 2000 to 2018, yearly average.
Table 1. Hours of sunshine average quantity in different cities around the world, yearly average.
| City | Hours of sunshine quantity, yearly average |
|---|---|
| Marseille, France | 2900 |
| Madrid, Spain | 2800 |
| Athens, Greece | 2500 |
| Warsaw, Poland | 2100 |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 1200 |
| London, England | 1050 |
§ The hours of sunshine quantity and number of sunny days in Germany by month of the year
Table 2 offered below shows the hours of sunshine quantity, as well as number of sunny days in Germany, in the space of a month, by month as of 2022.
Table 2. Hours of sunshine quantity and number of sunny days in Germany, in the space of a month, by month as of 2022.
| Sunshine duration measurement month | Hours quantity per month | Hours quantity per day | Number of days per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41.2 | 1.4 | 3.4 |
| February | 85.0 | 2.8 | 7.1 |
| March | 235.2 | 7.8 | 19.6 |
| April | 190.4 | 6.3 | 15.9 |
| May | 247.7 | 8.3 | 20.6 |
| June | 278.8 | 9.3 | 23.2 |
| July | 265.8 | 8.9 | 22.2 |
| August | 272.8 | 9.1 | 22.7 |
| September | 152.3 | 5.1 | 12.7 |
| October | 141.1 | 4.7 | 11.8 |
| November | 75.3 | 2.5 | 6.3 |
| December | 38.8 | 1.3 | 3.2 |
Table key:
- Sunshine hours quantity per month - by the German Weather Service (DWD).
- Sunshine hours quantity per day = the quantity of hours per month divided by 30 days.
- Number of sunny days per month = the quantity of hours per month divided by 12.
As can be seen from Table 2, the sunniest month in Germany was june, this month the sun shone 279 hours. The darkest month was december, with just 39 hours of sunshine.
Chart 1. Hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by month
§ Change in the hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by year and season
Table 3 offered below shows the hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by year over the past 10 years.
Table 3. Hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by year.
| Sunshine duration measurement year | Hours per year | Hours in winter | Hours in spring | Hours in summer | Hours in autumn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1'507.6 | 91.3 | 398.7 | 725.2 | 272.6 |
| 2014 | 1'620.9 | 191.3 | 529.9 | 637.1 | 296.2 |
| 2015 | 1'742.6 | 145.6 | 550.6 | 696.9 | 306.7 |
| 2016 | 1'607.4 | 174.8 | 477.2 | 619.3 | 336.9 |
| 2017 | 1'596.1 | 206.2 | 525.6 | 643.9 | 257.1 |
| 2018 | 2'015.4 | 174.7 | 625.9 | 778.6 | 438.8 |
| 2019 | 1'834.2 | 198.1 | 520.7 | 767.4 | 314.3 |
| 2020 | 1'896.0 | 182.0 | 708.7 | 669.3 | 360.3 |
| 2021 | 1'631.2 | 172.0 | 498.6 | 612.5 | 345.0 |
| 2022 | 2'024.1 | 164.0 | 673.2 | 817.3 | 368.6 |
As can be seen from Table 3, over the past 10 years, the sunniest year in Germany was 2022, with the hours of sunshine quantity totalling 2'024. The darkest year was 2013, with the hours of sunshine quantity totalling just 1'508.
Chart 2. Change in the hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by year
§ The number of sunny days and hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by federated state
In 2022 Baden-Württemberg was the sunniest federated state in the country, where the hours of sunshine quantity made 2'176. The darkest federated state happened to be Schleswig-Holstein, with the hours of sunshine quantity being just 1'934.
Table 4. Hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by federated state as of 2022.
| Federated state | Hours of sunshine quantity per year | Hours of sunshine quantity in winter | Hours of sunshine quantity in summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1'934 hours per year 161 days 5 hours per day | 154.1 | 756.6 |
| Lower Saxony | 1'945 hours per year 162 days 5 hours per day | 139.1 | 768.5 |
| Bremen | 1'945 hours per year 162 days 5 hours per day | 139.0 | 768.6 |
| Hamburg | 1'945 hours per year 162 days 5 hours per day | 139.0 | 768.6 |
| Thuringia | 1'969 hours per year 164 days 5 hours per day | 141.3 | 807.1 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 1'984 hours per year 165 days 5 hours per day | 142.2 | 790.1 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 1'994 hours per year 166 days 5 hours per day | 144.2 | 794.3 |
| Saxony | 2'003 hours per year 167 days 5 hours per day | 152.0 | 786.5 |
| Hesse | 2'003 hours per year 167 days 5 hours per day | 141.9 | 848.5 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 2'012 hours per year 168 days 6 hours per day | 146.0 | 806.2 |
| Brandenburg | 2'018 hours per year 168 days 6 hours per day | 143.5 | 792.1 |
| Berlin | 2'018 hours per year 168 days 6 hours per day | 143.3 | 792.4 |
| Bavaria | 2'055 hours per year 171 days 6 hours per day | 194.0 | 840.5 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 2'096 hours per year 175 days 6 hours per day | 170.9 | 875.3 |
| Saarland | 2'138 hours per year 178 days 6 hours per day | 179.8 | 904.1 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 2'176 hours per year 181 days 6 hours per day | 228.5 | 894.6 |
Table key:
- Sunshine hours quantity per year - by the German Weather Service (DWD).
- Number of sunny days per year = the quantity of hours per year divided by 12.
- Sunshine hours quantity per day = the quantity of hours per month divided by 365 days.
Hours of sunshine quantity in Germany by federated state as of 2022.
- Information about Germany
- All about Germany and the Germans - a general description of the country
- Administrative and territorial structure of Germany
- National symbols of Germany: flag, coat of arms, anthem, buildings, mottos and others
- Federated states of Germany and their capitals in German and English
- Political structure of Germany: parties, elections, authorities, policy
- Germany budget: structure, revenues and expenditures
- Climate and weather in Germany
- List of all German cities ordered alphabetically in English and German
- Related topics:
- Average air temperature in Germany
- Precipitation in Germany, annual average by year
- Number of sunny days in Germany
- Temperature in Germany in winter
- Temperature in Germany in summer
- Temperature in Germany in autumn
- Temperature in Germany in spring
