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.

In 2023, 40-59-year-olds made up the largest age group in Germany, at almost 23 million people. The most recent figures confirm that the next-largest age group was 65 years and older, at 18.89 million. Aging population With the number of people belonging to older age groups visibly outstripping younger ones, in recent years it has become clear that Germany’s population is aging. In fact, figures on age structure in Germany depict a constant trend of a slowly increasing population share aged over 65 since 2012. Meanwhile, the share of population members aged 0 to 14 years has been falling, which was also reflected in the fluctuating national birth rate in recent years. A look at the future Germany’s current total population stands at 84.7 million. While this number is predicted to increase, the same goes for the age group of 65 years and older. This means that the national population will continue to age.

Total current population for Germany in 2025 is 83,199,069, a 0.06% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Total population for Germany in 2024 was <strong>83,252,474</strong>, a <strong>0.03% decline</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for Germany in 2023 was <strong>83,280,000</strong>, a <strong>0.62% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for Germany in 2022 was <strong>83,797,985</strong>, a <strong>0.72% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

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...

This dataset features three gridded population dadasets of Germany on a 10m grid. The units are people per grid cell.

Datasets

DE_POP_VOLADJ16: This dataset was produced by disaggregating national census counts to 10m grid cells based on a weighted dasymetric mapping approach. A building density, building height and building type dataset were used as underlying covariates, with an adjusted volume for multi-family residential buildings.

DE_POP_TDBP: This dataset is considered a best product, based on a dasymetric mapping approach that disaggregated municipal census counts to 10m grid cells using the same three underyling covariate layers.

DE_POP_BU: This dataset is based on a bottom-up gridded population estimate. A building density, building height and building type layer were used to compute a living floor area dataset in a 10m grid. Using federal statistics on the average living floor are per capita, this bottom-up estimate was created.

Please refer to the related publication for details.

Temporal extent

The building density layer is based on Sentinel-2 time series data from 2018 and Sentinel-1 time series data from 2017 (doi: http://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.920894)

The building height layer is representative for ca. 2015 (doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4066295)

The building types layer is based on Sentinel-2 time series data from 2018 and Sentinel-1 time series data from 2017 (doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4601219)

The underlying census data is from 2018.

Data format

The data come in tiles of 30x30km (see shapefile). The projection is EPSG:3035. The images are compressed GeoTiff files (.tif). There is a mosaic in GDAL Virtual format (.vrt), which can readily be opened in most Geographic Information Systems.

Further information

For further information, please see the publication or contact Franz Schug (franz.schug@geo.hu-berlin.de). A web-visualization of this dataset is available here.

Publication

Schug, F., Frantz, D., van der Linden, S., & Hostert, P. (2021). Gridded population mapping for Germany based on building density, height and type from Earth Observation data using census disaggregation and bottom-up estimates. PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249044

Acknowledgements

Census data were provided by the German Federal Statistical Offices.

Funding This dataset was produced with funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950).

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Germany was reported at 240 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the data for the New Germany, MN population pyramid, which represents the New Germany population distribution across age and gender, using estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 5-Year Estimates. It lists the male and female population for each age group, along with the total population for those age groups. Higher numbers at the bottom of the table suggest population growth, whereas higher numbers at the top indicate declining birth rates. Furthermore, the dataset can be utilized to understand the youth dependency ratio, old-age dependency ratio, total dependency ratio, and potential support ratio.

Key observations

• Youth dependency ratio, which is the number of children aged 0-14 per 100 persons aged 15-64, for New Germany, MN, is 37.8.
• Old-age dependency ratio, which is the number of persons aged 65 or over per 100 persons aged 15-64, for New Germany, MN, is 8.8.
• Total dependency ratio for New Germany, MN is 46.6.
• Potential support ratio, which is the number of youth (working age population) per elderly, for New Germany, MN is 11.4.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2018-2022 5-Year Estimates.

Age groups:

• Under 5 years
• 5 to 9 years
• 10 to 14 years
• 15 to 19 years
• 20 to 24 years
• 25 to 29 years
• 30 to 34 years
• 35 to 39 years
• 40 to 44 years
• 45 to 49 years
• 50 to 54 years
• 55 to 59 years
• 60 to 64 years
• 65 to 69 years
• 70 to 74 years
• 75 to 79 years
• 80 to 84 years
• 85 years and over

Variables / Data Columns

• Age Group: This column displays the age group for the New Germany population analysis. Total expected values are 18 and are define above in the age groups section.
• Population (Male): The male population in the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Population (Female): The female population in the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.
• Total Population: The total population of the New Germany for the selected age group is shown in the following column.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for New Germany Population by Age. You can refer the same here

Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) in Germany was reported at 22.79 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - Population ages 65 and above (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Germany DE: Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 238.017 Person/sq km in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 237.823 Person/sq km for 2019. Germany DE: Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 228.349 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2020, with 60 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 238.017 Person/sq km in 2020 and a record low of 210.173 Person/sq km in 1961. Germany DE: Population Density: People per Square Km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.;Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.;Weighted average;

In 2024, the most populated federal state in Germany is North Rhine-Westphalia in the west, with a population of almost 18 million. The state capital is Düsseldorf. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the south rounded up the top three, both with over 10 million inhabitants.

Population growth (annual %) in Germany was reported at --0.62005 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Germany: Percent of world population: The latest value from 2023 is 1.06 percent, unchanged from 1.06 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.51 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Germany from 1960 to 2023 is 1.59 percent. The minimum value, 1.06 percent, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 2.42 percent was recorded in 1960.

Census data reveals that population density varies noticeably from area to area. Small area census data do a better job depicting where the crowded neighborhoods are. In this map, the yellow areas of highest density range from 30,000 to 150,000 persons per square kilometer. In those areas, if the people were spread out evenly across the area, there would be just 4 to 9 meters between them. Very high density areas exceed 7,000 persons per square kilometer. High density areas exceed 5,200 persons per square kilometer. The last categories break at 3,330 persons per square kilometer, and 1,500 persons per square kilometer.This dataset is comprised of multiple sources. All of the demographic data are from Michael Bauer Research with the exception of the following countries:Australia: Esri Australia and MapData ServicesCanada: Esri Canada and EnvironicsFrance: Esri FranceGermany: Esri Germany and NexigaIndia: Esri India and IndicusJapan: Esri JapanSouth Korea: Esri Korea and OPENmateSpain: Esri España and AISUnited States: Esri Demographics

The population density in Hamburg has been steadily increasing in recent years, with 2,530 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2023. This statistic shows the population density in Hamburg from 1995 to 2023.

Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) in Germany was reported at 14.47 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Germany - Population ages 0-14, male (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Germany: Population ages 65 and above, percent of total: The latest value from 2023 is 22.79 percent, an increase from 22.46 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 10.17 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Germany from 1960 to 2023 is 16.54 percent. The minimum value, 11.48 percent, was reached in 1960 while the maximum of 22.79 percent was recorded in 2023.

This map shows the percentage of the population under the age of 15 in Germany by multiple levels of geography. These levels are Country, State, District, Municipality, and Neighborhood (Country, Bundeslaender, Kreise, Gemeinden, and Wohnquartier, respectively). Nationally, 13.7% of the German population is under the age of 15.The pop-up is configured to include the following information for each geography level:Total PopulationPopulation under the age of 15 (count and % of population)Count of population by ageBeneath the administrative layer, there is a postal boundary layer available. The postal layer contains the same classification and pop-up configuration, but utilizes postal boundaries (Postal Zone, Postal Region, and Postcode). The source of this information is Nexiga. The vintage of the data shown is 2021. For more information about Esri demographics including geography levels, click here.Permitted use of this data is covered in Section 4.0 DATA of the Esri Master Agreement (E204CW) and these supplemental terms.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

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.