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Germany · state

Saxony population 2026

Sachsen

Saxony has 4,042,422 people on the latest official figure, for 1 January 2025, 12,267 fewer than a year earlier (−0.30%). It is 7th of Germany’s 16 states by population, home to 4.8% of Germany’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 4 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Saxony in numbers

Population
4 million 1 January 2025
Change in a year
−0.30% −12,267 people
Change since 2020
−0.73% from 4.1 million
Share of Germany
4.8% 7th of 16 states
Population density
220per km² 18,416 km²

That is about as many people as Croatia (3.8 million).

Population of Saxony by year

Population of Saxony
4M
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
20124,054,182
20144,046,385
20154,055,274
20164,084,851
20174,081,783
20184,081,308
20194,077,937
20204,071,971
20214,056,941
20224,043,002
20234,049,967
20244,054,689
20254,042,422
YearPopulationChange
2025 4,042,422 −12,267
2024 4,054,689 +4,722
2023 4,049,967 +6,965
2022 4,043,002 −13,939
2021 4,056,941 −15,030
2020 4,071,971 −5,966
2019 4,077,937 −3,371
2018 4,081,308 −475
2017 4,081,783 −3,068
2016 4,084,851 +29,577
2015 4,055,274 +8,889
2014 4,046,385 –
2012 4,054,182 –

Saxony 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 Saxony

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

  1. Dresden564,904
  2. Leipzig504,971
  3. Chemnitz247,220
  4. Zwickau98,796
  5. Plauen66,412
  6. Görlitz57,751

Questions

What is the population of Saxony in 2026?
The latest official figure is 4,042,422, for 1 January 2025 (Eurostat). If last year’s change continues, Saxony would have about 4 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.

Is Saxony’s population growing or shrinking?
It shrank by 12,267 people (−0.30%) in the latest year, and has changed −0.73% since 2020.

How does Saxony rank in Germany?
Saxony is 7th of Germany’s 16 states, with 4.8% of the people. North Rhine-Westphalia is the largest, with 18 million.

What is the population density of Saxony?
About 220 people per km², on 18,416 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in Saxony?
Dresden, with about 565 thousand 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: Saxony population, Eurostat, 1 January 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/germany/saxony/

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