In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Germany was split into four zones, each administered by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union respectively. In 1949, the Soviet-controlled zone formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), while the rest became the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In this time, Berlin was also split into four zones, and the three non-Soviet zones formed West Berlin, which was a part of West Germany (although the West's administrative capital was moved to Bonn). One population grows, while the other declines Between 1949 and 1961, an estimated 2.7 million people migrated from East to West Germany. East Germany had a communist government with a socialist economy and was a satellite state of the Soviet Union, whereas West Germany was a liberal democracy with a capitalist economy, and western autonomy increased over time. Because of this difference, West Germany was a much freer society with more economic opportunities. During the German partition, the population of the west grew, from 51 million in 1950 to 62.7 million in 1989, whereas the population of East Germany declined from 18.4 million to just 16.4 million during this time. Little change after reunification In 1989, after four decades of separation, the process of German reunification began. The legal and physical barriers that had split the country were removed, and Germans could freely travel within the entire country. Despite this development, population growth patterns did not change. The population of the 'new states' (East Germany) continued to decline, whereas the population of the west grew, particularly in the 1990s, the first decade after reunification. The reasons for this continued imbalance between German population in the east and west, is mostly due to a low birth rate and internal migration within Germany. Despite the fact that levels of income and unemployment in the new states have gotten closer to those reported for the west (a major obstacle after reunification), life and opportunities in the west continue to attract young Germans from rural areas in the east with detrimental effect on the economy and demography of the new states.

The total population of Germany was estimated at over 84.4 million inhabitants in 2025, although it is projected to drop in the coming years and fall below 80 million in 2043. Germany is the most populous country located entirely in Europe, and is third largest when Russia and Turkey are included. Germany's prosperous economy makes it a popular destination for immigrants of all backgrounds, which has kept its population above 80 million for several decades. Population growth and stability has depended on immigration In every year since 1972, Germany has had a higher death rate than its birth rate, meaning its population is in natural decline. However, Germany's population has rarely dropped below its 1972 figure of 78.6 million, and, in fact, peaked at 84.7 million in 2024, all due to its high net immigration rate. Over the past 75 years, the periods that saw the highest population growth rates were; the 1960s, due to the second wave of the post-WWII baby boom; the 1990s, due to post-reunification immigration; and since the 2010s, due to high arrivals of refugees from conflict zones in Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine. Does falling population = economic decline? Current projections predict that Germany's population will fall to almost 70 million by the next century. Germany's fertility rate currently sits around 1.5 births per woman, which is well below the repacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. Population aging and decline present a major challenge economies, as more resources must be invested in elderly care, while the workforce shrinks and there are fewer taxpayers contributing to social security. Countries such as Germany have introduced more generous child benefits and family friendly policies, although these are yet to prove effective in creating a cultural shift. Instead, labor shortages are being combatted via automation and immigration, however, both these solutions are met with resistance among large sections of the population and have become defining political issues of our time.

The total population in Germany was estimated at 83.6 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany Population - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

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

In 1800, the region of Germany was not a single, unified nation, but a collection of decentralized, independent states, bound together as part of the Holy Roman Empire. This empire was dissolved, however, in 1806, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras in Europe, and the German Confederation was established in 1815. Napoleonic reforms led to the abolition of serfdom, extension of voting rights to property-owners, and an overall increase in living standards. The population grew throughout the remainder of the century, as improvements in sanitation and medicine (namely, mandatory vaccination policies) saw child mortality rates fall in later decades. As Germany industrialized and the economy grew, so too did the argument for nationhood; calls for pan-Germanism (the unification of all German-speaking lands) grew more popular among the lower classes in the mid-1800s, especially following the revolutions of 1948-49. In contrast, industrialization and poor harvests also saw high unemployment in rural regions, which led to waves of mass migration, particularly to the U.S.. In 1886, the Austro-Prussian War united northern Germany under a new Confederation, while the remaining German states (excluding Austria and Switzerland) joined following the Franco-Prussian War in 1871; this established the German Empire, under the Prussian leadership of Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. 1871 to 1945 - Unification to the Second World War The first decades of unification saw Germany rise to become one of Europe's strongest and most advanced nations, and challenge other world powers on an international scale, establishing colonies in Africa and the Pacific. These endeavors were cut short, however, when the Austro-Hungarian heir apparent was assassinated in Sarajevo; Germany promised a "blank check" of support for Austria's retaliation, who subsequently declared war on Serbia and set the First World War in motion. Viewed as the strongest of the Central Powers, Germany mobilized over 11 million men throughout the war, and its army fought in all theaters. As the war progressed, both the military and civilian populations grew increasingly weakened due to malnutrition, as Germany's resources became stretched. By the war's end in 1918, Germany suffered over 2 million civilian and military deaths due to conflict, and several hundred thousand more during the accompanying influenza pandemic. Mass displacement and the restructuring of Europe's borders through the Treaty of Versailles saw the population drop by several million more.

Reparations and economic mismanagement also financially crippled Germany and led to bitter indignation among many Germans in the interwar period; something that was exploited by Adolf Hitler on his rise to power. Reckless printing of money caused hyperinflation in 1923, when the currency became so worthless that basic items were priced at trillions of Marks; the introduction of the Rentenmark then stabilized the economy before the Great Depression of 1929 sent it back into dramatic decline. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, the Nazi government disregarded the Treaty of Versailles' restrictions and Germany rose once more to become an emerging superpower. Hitler's desire for territorial expansion into eastern Europe and the creation of an ethnically-homogenous German empire then led to the invasion of Poland in 1939, which is considered the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Again, almost every aspect of German life contributed to the war effort, and more than 13 million men were mobilized. After six years of war, and over seven million German deaths, the Axis powers were defeated and Germany was divided into four zones administered by France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the U.S.. Mass displacement, shifting borders, and the relocation of peoples based on ethnicity also greatly affected the population during this time. 1945 to 2020 - Partition and Reunification In the late 1940s, cold war tensions led to two distinct states emerging in Germany; the Soviet-controlled east became the communist German Democratic Republic (DDR), and the three western zones merged to form the democratic Federal Republic of Germany. Additionally, Berlin was split in a similar fashion, although its location deep inside DDR territory created series of problems and opportunities for the those on either side. Life quickly changed depending on which side of the border one lived. Within a decade, rapid economic recovery saw West Germany become western Europe's strongest economy and a key international player. In the east, living standards were much lower, although unemployment was almost non-existent; internationally, East Germany was the strongest economy in the Eastern Bloc (after the USSR), though it eventually fell behind the West by the 1970s. The restriction of movement between the two states also led to labor shortages in t...

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Bremen, Germany metro area from 1950 to 2025.

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

Germany Population: West data was reported at 68,002.000 Person th in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 67,089.506 Person th for 2021. Germany Population: West data is updated yearly, averaging 61,809.378 Person th from Dec 1950 (Median) to 2022, with 73 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68,002.000 Person th in 2022 and a record low of 50,958.100 Person th in 1950. Germany Population: West data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G001: Population.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Duisburg, Germany metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Germany Population: East data was reported at 16,147.618 Person th in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16,163.795 Person th for 2020. Germany Population: East data is updated yearly, averaging 16,722.586 Person th from Dec 1950 (Median) to 2021, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18,388.172 Person th in 1950 and a record low of 15,119.530 Person th in 2000. Germany Population: East data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G001: Population.

Key information about Germany population

• The Germany population reached 84.7 million people in Dec 2023, compared with the previously reported figure of 84.2 million people in Dec 2022
• The data reached an all-time high of 84.7 million people in Dec 2023 and a record low of 69.3 million people in Dec 1950

• In the latest reports, Germany Unemployment Rate remained the same at 3.2 % in Mar 2024
• Monthly earnings of the Germany population was 5,040.7 USD in Dec 2023
• Germany Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 55.7 % in Mar 2024

Aggregate data from documents from the state bureaus of the census

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

Germany Population: Number of Deaths data was reported at 1,027,916.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,066,341.000 Person for 2022. Germany Population: Number of Deaths data is updated yearly, averaging 896,170.000 Person from Dec 1950 (Median) to 2023, with 74 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,066,341.000 Person in 2022 and a record low of 748,329.000 Person in 1950. Germany Population: Number of Deaths data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G001: Population.

This data compilation on the basis of official statistics of labor force gives a summarized overview over participation in work force in Germany.Those are the key themes of the compilation: - Overviews on population development (population by age groups, employable resident population by age groups and sex);- Resident population by participation in work force; - School leavers, trainees by se and by training area; - Labor force, working population, employment rates by age groups;- Working population by occupational status; - Working population by economic sectors;- Participation in labor force in the federal states;- Working time.The compilation contains data tables with (synthetic) annual averages as well as chosen results of the micro census. These data were complemented with data on employment from the national accounts after the revised version if ESA 95. Data tables in Histat:A. Overviews on population developmentA1 Population and areas (annual averages), former West Germany, newly formed German states, Germany (1946-2000)A2 Population by age group (at the end of each year), former West Germany, former GDR, Germany (1950-2000)A3 Employable resident population by age groups and sex (annual averages), former West Germany (1950-2000)A4a Employable resident population by age groups and sex (at the end of each year), Germany (1989-2000)A4b Employable resident population by age groups and sex (at the end of each year),Newly formed German states (1989-2000) B. Resident population by participation in work force B1 Tables with annual averages B1.1 Population, working population (nationals, residents) and employers (annual averages, national accounts), former West Germany, Germany (1950-1997)B1.2 Resident population, working population, employment rate, unemployed (annual averages is 1000), former West Germany, Germany (1950-1997)B1.3 Population by sex, foreigners (annual averages), former West Germany, Germany (1950-2000)B1.4 Population, employment and unemployment (annual averages), former West Germany, Germany (1950-1997)B1.5 Employees subject to mandatory social insurance contribution (end of June), former West Germany, Germany (1974-2000)B1.6 Employees (inland) in full-time and part time employment, short-time workers, unemployed (annual averages), former West Germany (1960-2000)B1.7 Foreign employees, unemployed foreigners (annual averages), former West Germany (1954-2000)B1.8 School leavers and trainees, former West Germany, Germany (1950-2000)B1.9 Trainees by sex and training areas (at the end of each year), former West Germany, Germany (1960-2000) B2 Tables with extrapolated results from the micro censusB2.1 Employable population, working population, unemployed, labor force altogether (micro census) former West Germany, Germany (1959-2000)B2.2 Employable population, working population, unemployed, labor force by sex (micro census), former West Germany, Germany (1959-2000)B2.3 Population by participation in labor force and sex (micro census), former West Germany, Newly formed German states (1957-2000)B2.4 Employees by volume of employment and sex (micro census), Former West Germany, newly formed German states, Germany (1985-2000)B2.5 Resident population by main income source and sex (micro census), former West Germany, newly formed German states, Germany (1975-2000)B2.6 Working population by nationality, occupational status and sex (micro census) former West Germany, Germany (1976-2000) B3 Revised results after ESA 95B3.1 Population, working population and employees (ESA 95), unemployed (ILO), former West Germany, Germany (1950-2000)B3.2 National working population: comparison of the revisions of the employment statistics, Germany (1991-2000) C. Working population, employees, employment rates by age groups C1 Tables with annual averages C2 Tables with extrapolated results from the micro censusC2.1a Employable resident population by age groups and sex in 1000 (micro census), Germany (1991-2000)C2.1b Employable resident population by age groups and sex in 1000 (micro census), former West Germany (1962-2000)C2.1c Employable resident population by age groups and sex in 1000 (micro census), newly formed German states (1991-2000)C2.2 Working population in 1000 by age groups (micro census), former West Germany, newly formed German states, Germany (1950-2000)C2.3 Labor force, employment rates by sex (micro census), former West Germany, Germany (1950-2000)C2.4 Labor force, employment rates and national working population by sex (annual averages) foreign employers, former West Germany, Germany (1950-1995)C2.5a Employment rates by age groups and sex (micro census), Germany (1991-2000)C2.5b Employment rates by age groups and sex (micro census), former West Germany (1959-2000)C2.5c Employment rates by age groups and sex (micro census), newly formed German states (1991-2000)C2.5d Employment rates by age groups and sex (micro census), former West Germany, Germany (1958-2000)C2.6a Labor force by age groups and sex...

This statistic shows the elderly population development (aged 65 and over) in Germany from 1950 to 2060. Over this 110 year period the number of elderly people is expected to increase to 22.3 million by 2060.

germany - Population for Germany was 577.00000 Mil. of Persons in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, germany - Population for Germany reached a record high of 1402.00000 in February of 2021 and a record low of -235.00000 in May of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for germany - Population for Germany - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

In 2024, there were around 3.7 million dairy cows in Germany. This represents a small decline since 2022. However, in 1950 there were 5.73 million dairy cows. The timeline shows the dairy cow population in Germany from 1950 to 2023.

Population: Mid Year: Projection data was reported at 72,589,745.000 Person in 2100. This records a decrease from the previous number of 72,646,641.000 Person for 2099. Population: Mid Year: Projection data is updated yearly, averaging 78,298,957.000 Person from Jun 1950 (Median) to 2100, with 151 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 84,498,245.000 Person in 2020 and a record low of 68,374,572.000 Person in 1950. Population: Mid Year: Projection data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Germany Population: Number of New Born data was reported at 693,019.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 738,819.000 Person for 2022. Germany Population: Number of New Born data is updated yearly, averaging 812,232.500 Person from Dec 1950 (Median) to 2023, with 74 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,357,304.000 Person in 1964 and a record low of 662,685.000 Person in 2011. Germany Population: Number of New Born data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.G001: Population.