Germany · official figures · 1 January 2025
Germany population by state, 2026
Germany has 83,577,140 people on the latest official figures (1 January 2025). North Rhine-Westphalia is the largest state, with 18 million, followed by Bavaria with 13.2 million; Bremen is the smallest, with 705 thousand.
All 16 states, largest first
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Rhine-WestphaliaNordrhein-Westfalen | 18,034,454 | +0.09% | +0.49% | 21.6% | 529 |
| 2 | BavariaBayern | 13,248,928 | +0.55% | +0.95% | 15.9% | 188 |
| 3 | Baden-Württemberg | 11,245,898 | +0.14% | +1.31% | 13.5% | 315 |
| 4 | Lower SaxonyNiedersachsen | 8,004,489 | −0.05% | +0.14% | 9.6% | 168 |
| 5 | HesseHessen | 6,280,793 | +0.21% | −0.12% | 7.5% | 298 |
| 6 | Rhineland-PalatinateRheinland-Pfalz | 4,129,569 | +0.11% | +0.87% | 4.9% | 208 |
| 7 | SaxonySachsen | 4,042,422 | −0.30% | −0.73% | 4.8% | 220 |
| 8 | Berlin | 3,685,265 | +0.63% | +0.43% | 4.4% | 4,136 |
| 9 | Schleswig-Holstein | 2,959,517 | +0.21% | +1.92% | 3.5% | 187 |
| 10 | Brandenburg | 2,556,747 | +0.09% | +1.38% | 3.1% | 87 |
| 11 | Saxony-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt | 2,135,597 | −0.42% | −2.70% | 2.6% | 104 |
| 12 | ThuringiaThüringen | 2,100,277 | −0.69% | −1.55% | 2.5% | 130 |
| 13 | Hamburg | 1,862,565 | +0.59% | +0.83% | 2.2% | 2,467 |
| 14 | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 1,573,597 | −0.28% | −2.15% | 1.9% | 68 |
| 15 | Saarland | 1,012,141 | −0.19% | +2.56% | 1.2% | 394 |
| 16 | Bremen | 704,881 | +0.32% | +3.48% | 0.8% | 1,681 |
Total area, Wikidata. “In 5 years” compares the latest yearly figures.
Questions
Which state of Germany has the most people?
North Rhine-Westphalia, with 18,034,454 people (1 January 2025), 21.6% of Germany. Then Bavaria, with 13,248,928.
Which has the fewest people?
Bremen, with 704,881 (1 January 2025).
Which is growing fastest?
Berlin, up +0.63% in the latest year. 6 shrank, led by Thuringia (−0.69%).
What share of Germany’s people live in the three largest?
50.9%: North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg.
How current are these figures, and who publishes them?
They are for 1 January 2025, from Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat updates regional populations once a year.
Source and method
Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. These national figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Germany, which uses one method for every country.
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