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Germany · state

Bavaria population 2026

Bayern

Bavaria has 13,248,928 people on the latest official figure, for 1 January 2025, 72,502 more than a year earlier (+0.55%). It is 2nd of Germany’s 16 states by population, home to 15.9% of Germany’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 13.4 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Bavaria in numbers

Population
13.2 million 1 January 2025
Change in a year
+0.55% +72,502 people
Change since 2020
+0.95% from 13.1 million
Share of Germany
15.9% 2nd of 16 states
Population density
188per km² 70,551 km²

That is about as many people as Bolivia (12.7 million).

Population of Bavaria by year

Population of Bavaria
13.2M
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
201212,443,372
201412,604,244
201512,691,568
201612,843,514
201712,930,751
201812,997,204
201913,076,721
202013,124,737
202113,140,183
202213,176,989
202313,105,221
202413,176,426
202513,248,928
YearPopulationChange
2025 13,248,928 +72,502
2024 13,176,426 +71,205
2023 13,105,221 −71,768
2022 13,176,989 +36,806
2021 13,140,183 +15,446
2020 13,124,737 +48,016
2019 13,076,721 +79,517
2018 12,997,204 +66,453
2017 12,930,751 +87,237
2016 12,843,514 +151,946
2015 12,691,568 +87,324
2014 12,604,244 –
2012 12,443,372 –

Bavaria among Germany’s states

Full ranking →
States of Germany by population
#
1 North Rhine-Westphalia18,034,454+0.09%
2 Bavaria13,248,928+0.55%
3 Baden-Württemberg11,245,898+0.14%
4 Lower Saxony8,004,489−0.05%
5 Hesse6,280,793+0.21%
6 Rhineland-Palatinate4,129,569+0.11%
7 Saxony4,042,422−0.30%
8 Berlin3,685,265+0.63%
9 Schleswig-Holstein2,959,517+0.21%
10 Brandenburg2,556,747+0.09%
11 Saxony-Anhalt2,135,597−0.42%
12 Thuringia2,100,277−0.69%
13 Hamburg1,862,565+0.59%
14 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,573,597−0.28%
15 Saarland1,012,141−0.19%
16 Bremen704,881+0.32%

Largest cities in Bavaria

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

  1. Munich1,505,005
  2. Nuremberg515,543
  3. Augsburg301,105
  4. Regensburg151,389
  5. Würzburg133,731
  6. Fürth132,036

Air quality in Bavaria today

Hourly AQI and a 48-hour forecast.

Munich

Questions

What is the population of Bavaria in 2026?
The latest official figure is 13,248,928, for 1 January 2025 (Eurostat). If last year’s change continues, Bavaria would have about 13.4 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.

Is Bavaria’s population growing or shrinking?
It grew by 72,502 people (+0.55%) in the latest year, and has changed +0.95% since 2020.

How does Bavaria rank in Germany?
Bavaria is 2nd of Germany’s 16 states, with 15.9% of the people. North Rhine-Westphalia is the largest, with 18 million.

What is the population density of Bavaria?
About 188 people per km², on 70,551 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in Bavaria?
Munich, with about 1.5 million people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

Source and method

Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Total area, Wikidata. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Germany, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.

Cite this page: Bavaria population, Eurostat, 1 January 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/germany/bavaria/

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