Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Cologne, Germany metro area from 1950 to 2025.

In 2021, 3.53 million men in Germany used eau de toilette or eau de cologne every day. A further 7.19 million men used such products several times a week.

The consumption and media analysis (Verbrauchs- und Medienanalyse) VuMA provides information on more than 1,000 brands and almost all products advertised in the media. The report provides data on usage and shopping behavior, media usage as well as opinions and attitudes of the German-speaking population aged 14 years and older.

The German residential real estate market, valued at €372.77 million in 2025, is experiencing robust growth, projected to expand at a CAGR exceeding 3.06% from 2025 to 2033. This growth is fueled by several key factors. A consistently strong economy, coupled with increasing urbanization and a growing population, particularly in major cities like Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg, are driving demand for residential properties. Furthermore, government initiatives aimed at improving housing affordability and infrastructure development are contributing to market expansion. The market is segmented by property type (villas/landed houses, condominiums/apartments) and key cities, reflecting regional variations in price points and demand. Competition among major players like Vonovia SE, Deutsche Wohnen SE, and LEG Immobilien SE is intense, yet the market's overall growth provides opportunities for both established firms and new entrants. However, challenges such as rising construction costs, stringent building regulations, and limited land availability in desirable urban areas could potentially restrain growth in certain segments. The sustained demand, particularly in the rental sector, suggests a positive outlook for the long-term stability and profitability of the German residential real estate market. While specific data for historical periods is limited, the consistent 3.06% CAGR suggests a steady and predictable growth pattern. This allows us to extrapolate logical estimates. The concentration of large players indicates a well-established market with a healthy balance between supply and demand. While challenges exist, the underlying economic strength and demographic trends suggest that the market’s positive trajectory is likely to continue. The segmentation by property type and city allows for a nuanced understanding of market dynamics within different geographical locations and among different target consumer groups. This in turn permits tailored investment strategies to optimize returns and minimize risks associated with this dynamic sector. Recent developments include: May 2023: Vonovia and CBRE Investment Management agreed to sell five assets totaling 1,350 apartments in Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt. Three of these properties are new constructions finished and operated in the rental category. The remaining two are under construction, with completion scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2023., January 2023: Vonovia, a German real estate corporation, invested in Gropyus, an Austrian developer of ecological dwellings. Vonovia, which has 1.5 million German citizens, will lead Gropyus' EUR 100 million (USD 106.79 million) series B investment to develop the latter's prefab manufacturing factory in Richen, Austria. FAM AB, a stakeholder in Gropyus, is also investing.. Key drivers for this market are: Strong Demand and Rising Construction Activities to Drive the Market, Rising House Prices in Germany Affecting Demand in the Market. Potential restraints include: Strong Demand and Rising Construction Activities to Drive the Market, Rising House Prices in Germany Affecting Demand in the Market. Notable trends are: Strong Demand And Rising Construction Activities To Drive The Market.

The study programme “FReDA – The German Family Demography Panel” is a cooperative project of the German Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, and – as representatives of the pairfam consortium – the University of Cologne and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. FReDA is a longitudinal study on family and demography with an international perspective and a dyadic multi-actor design. As part of the international Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), the German Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) sample (FReDA-GGS) allows for comparisons with around 14 other European countries as well as five countries or territories in Asia and South America. From FReDA wave 2 onwards, the pairfam sample – which had existed in large part since 2008 – was integrated into the FReDA panel as the FReDA-pairfam sample and will be followed with a joint FReDA survey instrument.

Regular FReDA waves comprise two subwaves, which are collected biannually: subwave A (e.g., W1A) and subwave B (e.g., W1B). Every four years, an additional recruitment/refreshment wave is conducted, which is marked with the letter R (e.g., W1R). The main survey is conducted with the anchor persons. In addition, the anchors´ partners are also surveyed – once in wave 1, bi-annually from wave 2 onwards. In addition, from wave 2 onwards, anchors´ ex-partners are also surveyed. Although the survey programme for (ex-)partners is based on the main survey, it differs in scope and content, and it is designed cross-sectionally – that is, anchors are asked in each subwave for their consent to their (ex-)partners being contacted with a request to participate in the FReDA partner survey.

For the recruitment of the FReDA-GGS sample, a probability-based sample of 108,256 anchor persons aged between 18 and 49 years resident in Germany was drawn from the population registers of municipalities in Germany in 2020. In wave 1, the Interviews were conducted in a self-administered mode – either web-based (CAWI) or paper-based (PAPI) – by the infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences. From wave 2 onwards, the interviews are conducted in a self-administered mode (CAWI or PAPI) by GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. Also with effect from wave 2, the probability-based pairfam sample was integrated into FReDA as the FReDA-pairfam sample if anchors consented to participate in the FReDA study. Consent could be given either during the pairfam wave 14 interview or by telephone or postal mail (postcard). Hence, pairfam anchors who did not take part in pairfam wave 14 could also be integrated into FReDA if they gave their consent. The FReDA-pairfam sample includes randomly selected individuals from the birth cohorts 1971–73, 1981–83, and 1991–93. In addition, it includes a younger cohort (2001–03), which was recruited in pairfam wave 11. Furthermore, "step-up respondents" – that is, former participants in the pairfam children´s survey who transitioned to the main pairfam anchor survey on reaching the age of 15 years – also became part of the FReDA-pairfam sample if they consented to be re-interviewed.

FReDA focuses thematically on family life and intimate relationships. The FReDA questionnaires have a modular design and comprise the following main topics: • Family planning and fertility • Couples’ relationships and partnerships • Parent–child and intergenerational relationships • Sociodemographics • Health, well-being, and personality • Work and income • Attitudes and values • Aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic

A comprehensive overview of the methodological and conceptual principles of the FReDA study is provided in the FReDA reference paper (Schneider et al. (2021)) and in a recent data brief by Hank et al. (2024).

A comprehensive overview of the methodological and conceptual principles of the pairfam study can be found in the pairfam reference paper (Huinink et al. (2021)) and in the pairfam Studiendokumentation.

The number of rape and sexual assault cases reported to the police in Germany peaked at ****** in 2024 during the period shown here. Previously, the highest number of cases, ******, had been recorded the year before. Based on the definition in criminal law, sexual assault includes rape, as well as other sexually driven physical attacks. Rape is defined as forcing a person to have sex. Increased crime clearance rate The question remains how high the number of unreported cases is. Reasons for not reporting a sexual assault vary among victims. In recent years, the German police reported increasing clearance rates for sexual crimes. In 2022, **** percent of rape and sexual assault cases were solved, compared to **** percent in 2016. In 2023, however this figure dropped to **** percent, perhaps due to the increase in the number of cases. Among males suspected of committing such crimes, over ** percent were young adults aged 18 to 21 years. Types of German police forces German police forces are divided into several different types, which all have clearly established tasks regulated by law. The Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) is often compared to the FBI in the U.S. and investigates federal crimes, such as kidnapping. The Federal Police (Bundespolizei), works in railway stations, at airports, and seaports. They also protect borders, government buildings, and deal with organized crime and terrorism. The criminal police (Kriminalpolizei, Kripo), the only policemen not wearing in uniform in Germany, handle assault, murder, and rape cases, as well as theft. The uniformed police (Schutzpolizei, SchuPo), or beat police, are regularly visible in streets, as they are responsible for traffic safety, among other tasks, and may be approached directly by people in need of assistance or help.