Population of Germany 2023: population size, density, population growth rate by year and land, age, national, religious, gender composition of the population
- Information on the page:
- Population size
- Population growth rate by year
- Population size as per land
- Age composition of the population
- Gender composition of the population
- Racial and ethnic composition of the population
- Religious composition of the population
- Population density
- Influencing factors
- Comments and questions
§ Population of Germany
According to the German Federal Office of Statistics, the German population as of the end of 2021 is 83'237'124 people.
The German population at the end of 2021, beginning of 2022 is 83,2 million people
§ Population growth, change in the German population size by year
The population size of Germany in recent years has not been constant; the population growth was influenced by various factors, including: fertility and mortality, migration, as well as adjustments to estimates. In the chart and table below, you can see the change in the population size by year. 2014-2015 saw the largest population growth since 2012.
Chart 1. German population growth and decline by year
Table 1. Growth, change in the population size of Germany by year
| Year | Population size, in millions of people | Change, as millions of people to the previous year | Change, as % relative to the previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 80.5 | - | - |
| 2013 | 80.8 | +0.2 | +0.30 % |
| 2014 | 81.2 | +0.4 | +0.53 % |
| 2015 | 82.2 | +1.0 | +1.20 % |
| 2016 | 82.5 | +0.3 | +0.42 % |
| 2017 | 82.8 | +0.3 | +0.33 % |
| 2018 | 83.0 | +0.2 | +0.27 % |
| 2019 | 83.2 | +0.1 | +0.18 % |
| 2020 | 83.2 | -0.0 | -0.01 % |
| 2021 | 83.2 | +0.1 | +0.10 % |
§ German population size by land and city at the end of 2021, beginning of 2022
Table 2 below shows the population size of Germany by land of Germany, as well as the total population size by federated state in Western Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany (the FRG) and East Germany, formerly the German Democratic Republic (the GDR). As the table shows, North Rhine-Westphalia has the largest population size, while the smallest population size is observed in Bremen.
Table 2. German population size by land at the end of 2021, beginning of 2022
| Land(Federated state) or city | Population size, in millions of people |
|---|---|
| Bavaria | 13'177 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 11'125 |
| Berlin | 3'677 |
| Brandenburg | 2'538 |
| Bremen | 676 |
| Hamburg | 1'854 |
| Hesse | 6'295 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 1'611 |
| Lower Saxony | 8'027 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 4'106 |
| Saarland | 982 |
| Saxony | 4'043 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 2'169 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 17'925 |
| Thuringia | 2'109 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 2'922 |
| West Germany (including Berlin) | 70'767 |
| East Germany (formerly the GDR, excluding Berlin) | 12'470 |
| Total: | 83'237 |
§ Age composition of the population of Germany, population size by the age groups
As at the beginning of 2018, the average age of the German residents is 44.4 years old, with the average age of women being 45.7 years old, and that of men being 43 years old. The average age of the German citizens is by 8–10 years higher than the average age of stateless people in Germany.
Table 3. Population by age groups as of 2021-2022
| Age group, years old | Population size, in millions of people | Ratio to the total size, as % |
|---|---|---|
| up to 6 years | 4.8 | 5.8 % |
| from 6 to 15 years old | 6.8 | 8.2 % |
| from 15 to 25 years old | 8.3 | 10.0 % |
| from 25 to 45 years old | 20.9 | 25.1 % |
| from 45 to 65 years old | 23.9 | 28.7 % |
| from 65 to 85 years old | 15.8 | 19.0 % |
| 85 years and more | 2.6 | 3.2 % |
| Total: | 83.2 | 100.0 % |
Chart 2. Age composition of the population of Germany
§ Gender composition of the population of Germany, by gender
As can be seen from the data presented in table 4, the number of men and women in Germany is almost equal: women constitute a group superior to men by about 1.1 million people.
Table 4. Population size by gender as of 2021-2022
| Gender | Population size, in millions of people | Ratio to the total size, as % |
|---|---|---|
| women | 42.2 | 50.7 % |
| men | 41.1 | 49.3 % |
| Total | 83.2 | 100.0 % |
§ Racial, ethnic composition of the population of Germany
As beginning of 2022 Germany has 72.3 million people with the German citizenship and 10.9 million non-citizens living in Germany.
Table 5. Number of people in Germany with & without the German citizenship as of 2021 - 2022
| Citizenship | Population size, in millions of people | Ratio to the total size, as % |
|---|---|---|
| Foreigners | 10.9 | 13.1 % |
| German citizens | 72.3 | 86.9 % |
| Total | 83.2 | 100.0 % |
Table 6 below shows the number of people with a migration background living in Germany.
Table 6. Number of people in Germany with a migration background, by country of origin as of 2019
| Country of origin | Population size, in millions of people | Ratio to the total size, as % |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 0.30 | 1.4 % |
| Bulgaria | 0.31 | 1.5 % |
| China | 0.19 | 0.9 % |
| Greece | 0.45 | 2.1 % |
| Italy | 0.87 | 4.1 % |
| Kazakhstan | 1.25 | 5.9 % |
| Poland | 2.24 | 10.5 % |
| Romania | 1.02 | 4.8 % |
| Russia | 1.39 | 6.5 % |
| Syria | 0.84 | 4.0 % |
| Czechia | 0.21 | 1.0 % |
| Turkey | 2.82 | 13.3 % |
| Ukraine | 0.31 | 1.5 % |
| USA | 0.18 | 0.9 % |
| United Kingdom | 0.17 | 0.8 % |
| Austria | 0.34 | 1.6 % |
| Other countries | 8.36 | 39.3 % |
| All countries | 21.25 | 100 % |
§ Religious composition of the population of Germany
Germany is traditionally a Christian country; therefore, the majority of the residents of Germany profess Christianity, this being said, the vast majority of them are Catholics and Protestants (evangelicals). Table 7 below shows the religious composition of the German population. People who have no religious affiliation are not necessarily atheists; they just do not belong to any confession and make up the second largest group of people, next to Christians.
Table 7. Religious profile of the German populationy
| Religious affiliation | Year | Population size, in millions of people | Ratio to the total size (2021), as % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelical church | 2018 | 21.14 | 25.4 % |
| Catholic Church | 2018 | 23.00 | 27.6 % |
| Muslims | 2015 | 4.50 | 5.4 % |
| Buddhists | 2020 | 0.27 | 0.3 % |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 2020 | 0.17 | 0.2 % |
| Judaists | 2018 | 0.09 | 0.1 % |
| Hindus | 2020 | 0.10 | 0.1 % |
| Without religious affiliation | 2017 | 31.37 | 37.7 % |
| Not included statistics, unaccounted changes | 3.1 % |
Sources: Statistisches Bundesamt; Deutsche Islam Konferenz (DIK); Buddhistischer Dachverband Diamantweg e.V.; jw.org Zeugen Jehovas; Hinduistische Gemeinde in Deutschland, K.d.ö.R.; Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland (fowid)
§ German population density
According to statistics, as at the beginning of 2022, the area of Germany is 357'578 square kilometres, and the population size was 83.24 million people. Thus, the average population density in Germany is 232.8 people per 1 km2. At that, Berlin has the highest population density, which makes 4'126.8 people per 1 km2, and the lowest population density is observed in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with 69.2 people per 1 km2.
§ Factors affecting the size, growth and decline of the population
The following factors, above all others, influence the German population size: fertility, mortality and migration. The table below contains some figures showing the impact of these factors by year.
Table 8. Factors affecting the German population size
| Year | Fertility, number of people | Mortality, number of people | Fertility - Mortality, number of people | In-migration, arrivals, number of people | Out-migration, departed, number of people | In-migration - Out-migration, number of people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 773'144 | 985'572 | -212'428 | 1'186'702 | 966'451 | +220'251 |
| 2019 | 778'129 | 939'520 | -161'391 | 1'558'612 | 1'231'552 | +327'060 |
| 2018 | 787'523 | 954'874 | -167'351 | 1'585'111 | 1'185'431 | +399'680 |
| 2017 | 784'901 | 932'263 | -147'362 | 1'550'721 | 1'134'641 | +416'080 |
| 2016 | 792'141 | 910'902 | -118'761 | 1'865'122 | 1'365'178 | +499'944 |
| 2015 | 737'575 | 925'200 | -187'625 | 2'136'954 | 997'552 | +1'139'402 |
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