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Last update: January, 20 2021

Germany

flag of Germany
Government
NameFederal Republic of Germany
GermanBundesrepublik Deutschland
Government typeFederal parliamentary republic
CapitalBerlin (3,644,826 (2018))
CurrencyEuro (EUR)
People
Population (2020)83,783,945 (19th)
Density of population232 P/km2 (58th)
NationalityGerman
Official languages
German
Ethnic groups (2017)
German87.2%
Turkish1.8%
Polish1%
Syrian1%
Other9%
Religions (2018)
Roman Catholic27.7%
Protestant25.5%
Muslim5.1%
Orthodox1.9%
Other Christian1.1%
Other0.9%
None37.8%
Life expectancy (2020)
Male78.7 years
Female83.6 years
Total population81.1 years (37st)
Homicides
Total (2018)0.9 (143rd)
Geography
Land area348,672 km2
water area8,350 km2
total area357,022 km2 (64th)
Mean elevation263 m
Lowest point
Neuendorf bei Wilster-3.5 m
Highest point
Zugspitze2,963 m
Land use (2011)
Agricultural land48%
Arable land34.1%
Permanent crops0.6%
Permanent pasture13.3%
Forest31.8%
Other20.2%
Urbanization
Urban population (2020)77.5%
Rate of urbanization0.27% annual rate of change (2015 – 2020)
Economy
Labor force (2017)45.9 million  (14th)
Labor force by occupation (2016)
Agriculture1.4
Industry24.2%
Services 74.3%
Unemployment rate (2017)3.8% (46th)
GDP (PPP) (estimate 2019)
Total$4.444 trillion (5th)
Per capita$52,559 (16th)
GDP (nominal) (estimate 2019)
Total$3.863 trillion (4th)
Per capita$46,653 (16th)
GDP by sector (estimate 2017)
Agriculture0.7%
Industry30.7%
Services68.6%
Exports (2017)$1.434 trillion (3rd)
Exports partners (2017)
US8.8%
France8.2%
China6.8%
Netherlands6.7%
UK6.6%
Italy5.1%
Austria4.9%
Poland4.7%
Switzerland4.2%
Imports (2017)$1.135 trillion (3rd)
Imports partners (2017)
Netherlands13.8%
China7%
France6.6%
Belgium5.9%
Italy5.4%
Poland5.4%
Czechia4.8%
US4.5%
Austria4.3%
Switzerland4.2%

Germany on the world map

Germany on the world map

Germany is a country in Central and Western Europe. It lies between the North Sea and the Baltic sea to the north and the Alps to the south.

Germany has 9 neighboring countries. It borders the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France to the west, Switzerland and Austria to the south, the Czech Republic and Poland to the east and finally Denmark to the north.

German states map

German states map

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal state of sixteen partly sovereign federated states (German: Bundesland (singular) / Bundesländer (plural)).

Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are called Stadtstaaten (city-states) because they consist of only one city (2 for Bremen: Bremen and Bermerhaven).

The Thirteen other states are called Flächenländer (area states).

The 16 german states and their population

StateCapitalArea (km ²)Population (2019)Pop. / km²
Baden-WürttembergStuttgart35,75211,100,394310
Bavaria
(Bayern)
Munich
(München)
70,55213,124,737185
BerlinBerlin8923,669,4914,086
BrandenburgPotsdam29,4792,521,89385
BremenBremen419681,2021,630
HamburgHamburg7551,847,253
2,439
Hesse
(Hessen)
Wiesbaden21,1156,288,080297
Lower Saxony
(Niedersachsen)
Hanover
(Hannover)
47,6097,993,448168
Mecklenburg-VorpommernSchwerin23,1801,609,67569
North Rhine-
Westphalia
(Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Düsseldorf34,08517,932,651526
Rhineland-Palatinate
(Rheinland-Pfalz)
Mainz19,8534,084,844206
SaarlandSaarbrücken2,569990,509386
Saxony
(Sachsen)
Dresden18,4164,077,937221
Saxony-Anhalt
(Sachsen-Anhalt)
Magdeburg20,4462,208,321108
Schleswig-HolsteinKiel15,7992,896,712183
Thuringia
(Thüringen)
Erfurt16,1722,143,145133

Germany top 10 largest cities (2018)

  1. Berlin (3,644,826)
  2. Hamburg (1,841,179)
  3. Munich (1,471,508)
  4. Cologne (1,085,664)
  5. Frankfurt (753,056)
  6. Stuttgart (634,830)
  7. Düsseldorf (619,294)
  8. Leipzig (587,857)
  9. Dortmund (587,010)
  10. Essen (583,109)

Demography

Population pyramid

Population pyramid of Germany (2020)

Age structure data

Estimate for 2020:

  • 0-14 years: 12.89% (male 5,302,850/female 5,025,863)
  • 15-24 years: 9.81% (male 4,012,412/female 3,854,471)
  • 25-54 years: 38.58% (male 15,553,328/female 15,370,417)
  • 55-64 years: 15.74% (male 6,297,886/female 6,316,024)
  • 65 years and over: 22.99% (male 8,148,873/female 10,277,538) 

Remark: the age structure of a population affects a nation’s key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.

Population from 1950 to 2020

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Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019, Online Edition. Rev. 1.


Evolution of the life expectancy from 1960 to 2018

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Source: World Development Indicators, The World Bank

Major rivers in Germany

RankNameLength in GermanyTotal length
1Rhine865 km (537 mi)1230 km (764 mi)
2Elbe727 km (451 mi)1,112 km (691 mi)
3Danube647 km (402 mi)2,850 km (1,770 mi)
4Main525 km (326 mi)525 km (326 mi)
5Weser452 km (281 mi)452 km (281 mi)
6Saale413 km (257 mi)413 km (257 mi)
7Spree382 km (237 mi)382 km (237 mi)
8Neckar362 km (225 mi)362 km (225 mi)
9Ems362 km (225 mi)362 km (225 mi)
10Havel325 km (202 mi)325 km (202 mi)

Economy

Agriculture:

potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; milk products; cattle, pigs, poultry

Industries:

among the world’s largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Exports – commodities:

motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products

Imports – commodities:

machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products

Time zone and current time in Germany

Go to our interactive map to get the current time in Germany

History

Sources: