NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises

Berlin had the highest active enterprises of 400 areas in 2022, at 169,006. Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt had the lowest, at 1,152. The median was 5,510 and the figure for Germany was 3.16 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest169,006Berlin
Median5,510400 areas
Germany3,164,855History

Top 40 areas, 2022

Berlin: 169,006 countBerlin169,006Hamburg: 90,172 countHamburg90,172München, Kreisfreie Stadt: 79,491 countMünchen, Kreisfreie Stadt79,491Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt: 52,006 countKöln, Kreisfreie Stadt52,006Region Hannover: 40,446 countRegion Hannover40,446Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt: 36,966 countFrankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Sta…36,966Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt: 35,029 countDüsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt35,029Stuttgart, Stadtkreis: 26,248 countStuttgart, Stadtkreis26,248München, Landkreis: 24,133 countMünchen, Landkreis24,133Rhein-Sieg-Kreis: 22,677 countRhein-Sieg-Kreis22,677Leipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt: 21,837 countLeipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt21,837Rhein-Neckar-Kreis: 21,337 countRhein-Neckar-Kreis21,337Städteregion Aachen: 21,116 countStädteregion Aachen21,116Mettmann: 20,867 countMettmann20,867Nürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 20,757 countNürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt20,757Esslingen: 20,412 countEsslingen20,412Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,867 countDresden, Kreisfreie Stadt19,867Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,844 countEssen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,844Ludwigsburg: 19,664 countLudwigsburg19,664Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,505 countBremen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,505Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt: 18,759 countDortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt18,759Recklinghausen: 18,221 countRecklinghausen18,221Rhein-Kreis Neuss: 18,056 countRhein-Kreis Neuss18,056Rhein-Erft-Kreis: 17,397 countRhein-Erft-Kreis17,397Rems-Murr-Kreis: 16,895 countRems-Murr-Kreis16,895Karlsruhe, Landkreis: 16,837 countKarlsruhe, Landkreis16,837Ortenaukreis: 16,293 countOrtenaukreis16,293Main-Kinzig-Kreis: 16,253 countMain-Kinzig-Kreis16,253Offenbach, Landkreis: 15,940 countOffenbach, Landkreis15,940Wesel: 15,861 countWesel15,861Borken: 15,034 countBorken15,034Steinfurt: 14,735 countSteinfurt14,735Rosenheim, Landkreis: 14,276 countRosenheim, Landkreis14,276Böblingen: 13,861 countBöblingen13,861Märkischer Kreis: 13,644 countMärkischer Kreis13,644Gütersloh: 13,589 countGütersloh13,589Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 13,073 countDuisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt13,073Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt: 12,877 countBonn, Kreisfreie Stadt12,877Viersen: 12,832 countViersen12,832Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt: 12,719 countWuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt12,719Berlin: 169,006 countBerlin169,006Hamburg: 90,172 countHamburg90,172München, Kreisfreie Stadt: 79,491 countMünchen, Kreisfreie Stadt79,491Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt: 52,006 countKöln, Kreisfreie Stadt52,006Region Hannover: 40,446 countRegion Hannover40,446Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt: 36,966 countFrankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt36,966Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt: 35,029 countDüsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt35,029Stuttgart, Stadtkreis: 26,248 countStuttgart, Stadtkreis26,248München, Landkreis: 24,133 countMünchen, Landkreis24,133Rhein-Sieg-Kreis: 22,677 countRhein-Sieg-Kreis22,677Leipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt: 21,837 countLeipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt21,837Rhein-Neckar-Kreis: 21,337 countRhein-Neckar-Kreis21,337Städteregion Aachen: 21,116 countStädteregion Aachen21,116Mettmann: 20,867 countMettmann20,867Nürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 20,757 countNürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt20,757Esslingen: 20,412 countEsslingen20,412Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,867 countDresden, Kreisfreie Stadt19,867Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,844 countEssen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,844Ludwigsburg: 19,664 countLudwigsburg19,664Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 19,505 countBremen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,505Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt: 18,759 countDortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt18,759Recklinghausen: 18,221 countRecklinghausen18,221Rhein-Kreis Neuss: 18,056 countRhein-Kreis Neuss18,056Rhein-Erft-Kreis: 17,397 countRhein-Erft-Kreis17,397Rems-Murr-Kreis: 16,895 countRems-Murr-Kreis16,895Karlsruhe, Landkreis: 16,837 countKarlsruhe, Landkreis16,837Ortenaukreis: 16,293 countOrtenaukreis16,293Main-Kinzig-Kreis: 16,253 countMain-Kinzig-Kreis16,253Offenbach, Landkreis: 15,940 countOffenbach, Landkreis15,940Wesel: 15,861 countWesel15,861Borken: 15,034 countBorken15,034Steinfurt: 14,735 countSteinfurt14,735Rosenheim, Landkreis: 14,276 countRosenheim, Landkreis14,276Böblingen: 13,861 countBöblingen13,861Märkischer Kreis: 13,644 countMärkischer Kreis13,644Gütersloh: 13,589 countGütersloh13,589Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 13,073 countDuisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt13,073Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt: 12,877 countBonn, Kreisfreie Stadt12,877Viersen: 12,832 countViersen12,832Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt: 12,719 countWuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt12,719
count. Source: Eurostat, Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankAreas2022
count
Change on 2021
1Berlin169,006+1.8%
2Hamburg90,172+0.1%
3München, Kreisfreie Stadt79,491+1%
4Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt52,006+1.4%
5Region Hannover40,446+1.2%
6Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt36,966+2.1%
7Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt35,029+1.7%
8Stuttgart, Stadtkreis26,248-0.2%
9München, Landkreis24,133+1.7%
10Rhein-Sieg-Kreis22,677+0.1%
11Leipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt21,837+2.4%
12Rhein-Neckar-Kreis21,337+0.8%
13Städteregion Aachen21,116+0.9%
14Mettmann20,867+1.5%
15Nürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt20,757+0.4%
16Esslingen20,412-0.6%
17Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt19,867+0.5%
18Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,844+1%
19Ludwigsburg19,664-0%
20Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt19,505-1.7%
21Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt18,759+0.5%
22Recklinghausen18,221+0.5%
23Rhein-Kreis Neuss18,056+1.8%
24Rhein-Erft-Kreis17,397+1.4%
25Rems-Murr-Kreis16,895-0.5%
26Karlsruhe, Landkreis16,837+0.5%
27Ortenaukreis16,293+0.4%
28Main-Kinzig-Kreis16,253+0.9%
29Offenbach, Landkreis15,940+1%
30Wesel15,861+0.5%
31Borken15,034+0.9%
32Steinfurt14,735+0.1%
33Rosenheim, Landkreis14,276+0.4%
34Böblingen13,861-0.8%
35Märkischer Kreis13,644-0%
36Gütersloh13,5890%
37Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt13,073+1.2%
38Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt12,877+0.6%
39Viersen12,832+0.6%
40Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt12,719+0.8%
41Wiesbaden, Kreisfreie Stadt12,5820%
42Mannheim, Stadtkreis12,567+0.4%
43Pinneberg12,497+0.3%
44Heilbronn, Landkreis12,412-0%
45Erzgebirgskreis12,388-0.4%
46Regionalverband Saarbrücken12,369+0.6%
47Wetteraukreis12,325+1.4%
48Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis12,324-0.3%
49Ravensburg12,281+0.1%
50Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis12,202+0.3%
51Osnabrück, Landkreis12,130+0.3%
52Unna11,985+0.3%
53Hochtaunuskreis11,903+0.3%
54Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt11,884+1%
55Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt11,853+1.3%
56Kleve11,824+0.4%
57Lippe11,773-1.1%
58Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis11,763+0.7%
59Bielefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt11,735+0.8%
60Konstanz11,580-0.3%
61Paderborn11,488+0.7%
62Reutlingen11,434-0.4%
63Emsland11,431+0.7%
64Bergstraße11,315+0.6%
65Darmstadt-Dieburg11,256+1.2%
66Ostalbkreis11,199-0.8%
67Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald11,099+0.8%
68Augsburg, Kreisfreie Stadt10,926+1.4%
69Segeberg10,879+0.3%
70Soest10,819+0.4%
71Main-Taunus-Kreis10,808+1.4%
72Minden-Lübbecke10,782+1.2%
73Zwickau10,673-0.7%
74Stormarn10,592-0%
75Mittelsachsen10,497-0.7%
76Hochsauerlandkreis10,296+1.1%
77Harburg10,266+0.9%
78Augsburg, Landkreis10,230+1.4%
79Göttingen10,129+0.7%
80Bautzen9,956-0.3%
81Oberbergischer Kreis9,950+0.4%
82Mönchengladbach, Kreisfreie Stadt9,822+0.4%
83Gießen, Landkreis9,771+0.5%
84Göppingen9,721+0.2%
85Rendsburg-Eckernförde9,683-0.3%
86Nordfriesland9,666+0.4%
87Freiburg im Breisgau, Stadtkreis9,589-1.2%
88Fürstenfeldbruck9,582+0.7%
89Warendorf9,534-0.3%
90Heinsberg9,492+0.5%
91Leipzig9,458-1.2%
92Starnberg9,430+1%
93Herford9,301+0.1%
94Bodenseekreis9,232+0.5%
95Lahn-Dill-Kreis9,161+0.6%
96Ostholstein9,144-0%
97Düren9,136+1.8%
98Groß-Gerau9,098+1%
99Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge9,051+0.4%
100Potsdam-Mittelmark8,974+0.9%
101Siegen-Wittgenstein8,882-0.5%
102Vorpommern-Rügen8,851-0.1%
103Krefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt8,744+1.1%
104Meißen8,682-0.1%
105Passau, Landkreis8,662+0.4%
106Traunstein8,509+1.6%
107Mecklenburgische Seenplatte8,426-0.8%
108Vogtlandkreis8,406-1.2%
109Coesfeld8,392-0.1%
110Chemnitz, Kreisfreie Stadt8,350-0.5%
111Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt8,321+1.9%
112Görlitz8,288-0.7%
113Hildesheim8,187+0.6%
114Diepholz8,164+0.7%
115Oberallgäu8,154+1.6%
116Landkreis Rostock8,153+0.3%
117Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis8,149-0%
118Fulda8,026+0.1%
119Lörrach7,975-0.3%
120Tübingen, Landkreis7,972+0.2%
121Westerwaldkreis7,965+0.5%
122Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt7,857+1.2%
123Schleswig-Flensburg7,855-0.1%
124Enzkreis7,800+0.2%
125Vorpommern-Greifswald7,771-0.2%
126Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis7,717+1.5%
127Mainz-Bingen7,675-0.2%
128Zollernalbkreis7,669-0.2%
129Rastatt7,658-0.6%
130Kiel, Kreisfreie Stadt7,613-0.4%
131Mayen-Koblenz7,574+1.2%
132Freising7,556+0.1%
133Marburg-Biedenkopf7,526+0.8%
134Oberhavel7,482-0.3%
135Euskirchen7,426+2.5%
136Schwäbisch Hall7,405+0.4%
137Märkisch-Oderland7,393+0.3%
138Lübeck, Kreisfreie Stadt7,385+0.9%
139Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt7,363+1.5%
140Aschaffenburg, Landkreis7,346+1%
141Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen7,313+1.5%
142Alb-Donau-Kreis7,245+1.2%
143Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt7,2170%
144Biberach7,172-0.1%
145Kassel, Landkreis7,169+0.1%
146Limburg-Weilburg7,144+2.6%
147Magdeburg, Kreisfreie Stadt7,085+0.7%
148Ansbach, Landkreis7,076+1.6%
149Herzogtum Lauenburg7,0630%
150Dachau7,048+1.8%
151Neuwied7,023+0.8%
152Nürnberger Land6,905+1.3%
153Ebersberg6,9020%
154Saarlouis6,890-0.1%
155Regensburg, Landkreis6,887+0.7%
156Ludwigslust-Parchim6,868-0.4%
157Nordsachsen6,856+0.1%
158Potsdam, Kreisfreie Stadt6,807+0.4%
159Dahme-Spreewald6,806+1.3%
160Barnim6,765+0.5%
161Gelsenkirchen, Kreisfreie Stadt6,754+1.1%
162Stade6,631+0.7%
163Teltow-Fläming6,630+1.1%
164Landshut, Landkreis6,628+1.3%
165Miesbach6,618+0.6%
166Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt6,603+1.5%
166Ostallgäu6,603+1.6%
168Aurich6,583+0.4%
168Heidelberg, Stadtkreis6,583-0.5%
170Harz6,569+0.8%
171Solingen, Kreisfreie Stadt6,536+0.6%
172Emmendingen6,524+0.6%
173Cloppenburg6,507+0.6%
174Regensburg, Kreisfreie Stadt6,4710%
175Lüneburg, Landkreis6,444+0.9%
176Unterallgäu6,411+1.8%
177Neu-Ulm6,334+2.4%
178Halle (Saale), Kreisfreie Stadt6,291+0.6%
179Weilheim-Schongau6,261+2.6%
180Landsberg am Lech6,249+1.7%
181Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt6,212+0.8%
182Waldshut6,191-0.2%
183Oberhausen, Kreisfreie Stadt6,141+0.8%
184Mülheim an der Ruhr, Kreisfreie Stadt6,101+0.6%
185Osnabrück, Kreisfreie Stadt6,086+1.6%
186Oldenburg (Oldenburg), Kreisfreie Stadt6,079+0.2%
187Oder-Spree6,063-0%
188Erding6,044+0.9%
189Aichach-Friedberg6,035+0.4%
190Calw5,956-0.6%
191Cuxhaven5,882+0.9%
192Rottal-Inn5,825+0.1%
193Würzburg, Landkreis5,824+2.1%
194Rotenburg (Wümme)5,778+0.2%
195Vechta5,744+0.6%
196Hagen, Kreisfreie Stadt5,742+0.7%
197Rottweil5,689+1%
198Celle5,679+0.2%
199Bad Kreuznach5,641+2%
200Würzburg, Kreisfreie Stadt5,521+2%
201Leer5,499+1.3%
202Cham5,492+1.9%
203Tuttlingen5,469-0.7%
204Offenbach am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt5,444+3.8%
205Havelland5,434+0.8%
206Neumarkt i. d. OPf.5,432+0.2%
207Schwalm-Eder-Kreis5,427-0.3%
207Waldeck-Frankenberg5,427+1.4%
209Leverkusen, Kreisfreie Stadt5,419+4.5%
210Schwandorf5,348+0.4%
211Saarpfalz-Kreis5,344-0.6%
212Donau-Ries5,296+2%
213Garmisch-Partenkirchen5,295+1.4%
214Ahrweiler5,289+0.2%
215Miltenberg5,274-0.5%
216Roth5,258+1.4%
217Dithmarschen5,251+0.4%
218Günzburg5,196+2.5%
219Saalekreis5,193-0.7%
220Burgenlandkreis5,192-0.3%
221Nordwestmecklenburg5,179+0.5%
222Bad Dürkheim5,171+1.2%
223Ulm, Stadtkreis5,144-0.3%
224Salzlandkreis5,117-0.9%
225Deggendorf5,110+2.3%
226Schaumburg5,102+0.4%
227Pfaffenhofen a. d. Ilm5,087+0.8%
228Mühldorf a. Inn5,047+1.8%
229Heilbronn, Stadtkreis5,020-0.1%
230Sigmaringen4,987-0.7%
231Ammerland4,951-0.3%
232Pforzheim, Stadtkreis4,914+0.6%
233Bamberg, Landkreis4,909+0.6%
234Hamm, Kreisfreie Stadt4,901+0.9%
235Berchtesgadener Land4,895+0.4%
236Kelheim4,889+1.7%
237Fürth, Kreisfreie Stadt4,875+0.7%
238Hameln-Pyrmont4,865+0.5%
239Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis4,864+0.7%
240Olpe4,836+0.6%
241Oldenburg, Landkreis4,768-0.6%
242Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis4,767-0.6%
243Höxter4,759+0.3%
244Grafschaft Bentheim4,741+0.8%
245Wartburgkreis4,737n/a
246Main-Tauber-Kreis4,680+0.6%
247Heidekreis4,644+1%
248Verden4,641+0.3%
249Erlangen-Höchstadt4,638-0.9%
250Anhalt-Bitterfeld4,636-1.1%

Showing the top 250 of 400. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Enterprises that had turnover or employment at any time during the year, with or without employees.

Counts enterprises, which can run several local units, under the harmonised Eurostat and OECD business demography rules. Not the same as active_companies (the INE business register count for Spain) or employer_firms (US firms with employees). For the UK it counts every enterprise active at some point in the year, so it differs from registered_enterprises_total (UK Business Counts), a snapshot of the register in March.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the areas are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r) (NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table

MLA 9

Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r), NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022. Eurostat, European Commission, 13 Mar. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r). NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r), NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_nuts_3_areas_of_2022,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd\_size\_r): NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd\_size\_r). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd\_size\_r/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r): NUTS 3 areas of Germany by active enterprises, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/13
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/active-enterprises/germany-provinces?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/bd_size_r/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Which area has the highest active enterprises?

Berlin, with 169,006 in 2022, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest active enterprises?

Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt, with 1,152 in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Business demography by size class and NUTS 3 region, industry, construction and market services, all size classes, enterprises, number (bd_size_r). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Active enterprises: other rankings

NUTS 3 areas of Germany: more rankings