Data / Rankings / Population / NUTS 3 areas of Germany

NUTS 3 areas of Germany by population

Berlin had the highest population of 400 areas in 2014, at 3.42 million. Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt had the lowest, at 34,084. The median was 150,030 and the figure for Germany was 80.77 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest3,421,829Berlin
Lowest34,084Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt
Median150,030400 areas
Germany80,767,463History

Top 40 areas, 2014

CSVChart (SVG)

BerlinBerlin: 3,421,829 persons3,421,829HamburgHamburg: 1,746,342 persons1,746,342München, Kreisfreie StadtMünchen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 1,407,836 persons1,407,836Region HannoverRegion Hannover: 1,119,526 persons1,119,526Köln, Kreisfreie StadtKöln, Kreisfreie Stadt: 1,034,175 persons1,034,175Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Sta…Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt: 701,350 persons701,350RecklinghausenRecklinghausen: 613,878 persons613,878Stuttgart, StadtkreisStuttgart, Stadtkreis: 604,297 persons604,297Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie StadtDüsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt: 598,686 persons598,686Rhein-Sieg-KreisRhein-Sieg-Kreis: 582,280 persons582,280Dortmund, Kreisfreie StadtDortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt: 575,944 persons575,944Essen, Kreisfreie StadtEssen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 569,884 persons569,884Bremen, Kreisfreie StadtBremen, Kreisfreie Stadt: 548,547 persons548,547Städteregion AachenStädteregion Aachen: 545,067 persons545,067Leipzig, Kreisfreie StadtLeipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt: 531,562 persons531,562Rhein-Neckar-KreisRhein-Neckar-Kreis: 531,013 persons531,013Dresden, Kreisfreie StadtDresden, Kreisfreie Stadt: 530,754 persons530,754LudwigsburgLudwigsburg: 521,633 persons521,633EsslingenEsslingen: 512,279 persons512,279Nürnberg, Kreisfreie StadtNürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 498,876 persons498,876Duisburg, Kreisfreie StadtDuisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt: 486,855 persons486,855MettmannMettmann: 476,633 persons476,633WeselWesel: 457,033 persons457,033Rhein-Erft-KreisRhein-Erft-Kreis: 456,602 persons456,602Rhein-Kreis NeussRhein-Kreis Neuss: 440,602 persons440,602SteinfurtSteinfurt: 434,481 persons434,481Karlsruhe, LandkreisKarlsruhe, Landkreis: 429,186 persons429,186Märkischer KreisMärkischer Kreis: 416,240 persons416,240OrtenaukreisOrtenaukreis: 412,678 persons412,678Rems-Murr-KreisRems-Murr-Kreis: 411,025 persons411,025Main-Kinzig-KreisMain-Kinzig-Kreis: 404,995 persons404,995UnnaUnna: 391,622 persons391,622BöblingenBöblingen: 370,392 persons370,392BorkenBorken: 364,271 persons364,271Bochum, Kreisfreie StadtBochum, Kreisfreie Stadt: 361,734 persons361,734GüterslohGütersloh: 352,334 persons352,334ErzgebirgskreisErzgebirgskreis: 351,309 persons351,309Osnabrück, LandkreisOsnabrück, Landkreis: 350,302 persons350,302LippeLippe: 345,374 persons345,374Wuppertal, Kreisfreie StadtWuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt: 343,488 persons343,488
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankAreas2014
persons
1Berlin3,421,829
2Hamburg1,746,342
3München, Kreisfreie Stadt1,407,836
4Region Hannover1,119,526
5Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt1,034,175
6Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt701,350
7Recklinghausen613,878
8Stuttgart, Stadtkreis604,297
9Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt598,686
10Rhein-Sieg-Kreis582,280
11Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt575,944
12Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt569,884
13Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt548,547
14Städteregion Aachen545,067
15Leipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt531,562
16Rhein-Neckar-Kreis531,013
17Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt530,754
18Ludwigsburg521,633
19Esslingen512,279
20Nürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt498,876
21Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt486,855
22Mettmann476,633
23Wesel457,033
24Rhein-Erft-Kreis456,602
25Rhein-Kreis Neuss440,602
26Steinfurt434,481
27Karlsruhe, Landkreis429,186
28Märkischer Kreis416,240
29Ortenaukreis412,678
30Rems-Murr-Kreis411,025
31Main-Kinzig-Kreis404,995
32Unna391,622
33Böblingen370,392
34Borken364,271
35Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt361,734
36Gütersloh352,334
37Erzgebirgskreis351,309
38Osnabrück, Landkreis350,302
39Lippe345,374
40Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt343,488
41Offenbach, Landkreis338,300
42München, Landkreis329,981
43Bielefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt328,864
44Zwickau327,062
45Heilbronn, Landkreis326,035
46Regionalverband Saarbrücken325,978
47Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis322,731
48Göttingen322,616
49Mittelsachsen314,591
50Emsland313,689
51Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt311,287
52Minden-Lübbecke309,356
53Bautzen308,350
54Ostalbkreis306,933
55Kleve302,698
56Pinneberg301,223
57Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt299,708
58Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis299,103
59Mannheim, Stadtkreis296,690
60Paderborn296,688
61Wetteraukreis295,408
62Soest294,971
63Viersen294,921
64Darmstadt-Dieburg285,407
65Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis278,440
66Augsburg, Kreisfreie Stadt276,542
67Reutlingen276,019
68Siegen-Wittgenstein274,904
69Hildesheim274,519
70Wiesbaden, Kreisfreie Stadt273,871
71Ravensburg273,540
72Konstanz273,407
73Warendorf272,623
74Oberbergischer Kreis270,290
75Rendsburg-Eckernförde268,075
76Segeberg263,202
77Mecklenburgische Seenplatte262,412
78Bergstraße262,322
79Görlitz262,168
80Hochsauerlandkreis261,999
81Düren258,385
82Gelsenkirchen, Kreisfreie Stadt257,850
83Leipzig257,596
84Groß-Gerau257,301
85Mönchengladbach, Kreisfreie Stadt255,430
86Gießen, Landkreis253,820
87Lahn-Dill-Kreis251,327
88Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald250,137
89Rosenheim, Landkreis249,810
90Herford248,988
91Göppingen248,813
92Heinsberg248,233
93Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt247,227
94Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge245,939
95Meißen243,716
96Harburg242,871
97Chemnitz, Kreisfreie Stadt242,022
98Marburg-Biedenkopf241,656
99Kiel, Kreisfreie Stadt241,533
100Augsburg, Landkreis240,911
101Vorpommern-Greifswald238,185
102Stormarn234,674
103Vogtlandkreis233,970
104Kassel, Landkreis233,352
105Halle (Saale), Kreisfreie Stadt231,565
106Magdeburg, Kreisfreie Stadt231,021
107Hochtaunuskreis229,167
108Main-Taunus-Kreis228,021
109Rastatt223,311
110Vorpommern-Rügen223,109
111Krefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt222,058
112Lörrach221,943
113Harz221,043
114Freiburg im Breisgau, Stadtkreis220,286
115Tübingen, Landkreis216,535
116Fulda216,314
117Coesfeld215,282
118Lübeck, Kreisfreie Stadt212,958
119Ludwigslust-Parchim211,965
120Landkreis Rostock210,555
121Diepholz209,955
122Mayen-Koblenz209,785
123Oberhausen, Kreisfreie Stadt209,097
124Fürstenfeldbruck208,272
125Bodenseekreis207,450
126Potsdam-Mittelmark205,520
127Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis205,090
128Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt204,880
129Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt204,268
130Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt203,431
131Mainz-Bingen203,338
132Oberhavel203,012
133Salzlandkreis198,715
134Westerwaldkreis198,704
135Ostholstein197,835
136Nordsachsen197,346
137Cuxhaven196,607
138Stade196,516
139Saarlouis195,976
140Schleswig-Flensburg195,135
141Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt194,087
142Enzkreis192,811
143Herzogtum Lauenburg189,043
144Biberach188,696
145Alb-Donau-Kreis187,892
146Saalekreis187,690
147Schwäbisch Hall187,682
148Märkisch-Oderland187,668
149Euskirchen187,437
150Aurich187,058
151Hagen, Kreisfreie Stadt185,996
152Regensburg, Landkreis185,980
153Passau, Landkreis185,671
154Burgenlandkreis184,956
155Zollernalbkreis184,615
156Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis181,190
157Neuwied179,454
158Schwalm-Eder-Kreis179,429
159Ansbach, Landkreis178,914
160Oder-Spree176,850
161Lüneburg, Landkreis176,727
162Hamm, Kreisfreie Stadt176,048
163Celle175,552
164Barnim173,754
165Börde172,955
166Aschaffenburg, Landkreis172,791
167Gifhorn171,475
168Traunstein170,364
169Limburg-Weilburg169,964
170Freising169,010
171Wartburgkreis167,850
172Anhalt-Bitterfeld166,828
173Neu-Ulm166,643
174Mülheim an der Ruhr, Kreisfreie Stadt166,640
175Nürnberger Land165,000
176Leer164,792
177Waldshut164,265
178Nordfriesland161,923
179Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Kreisfreie Stadt161,518
180Potsdam, Kreisfreie Stadt161,468
181Rotenburg (Wümme)161,308
182Leverkusen, Kreisfreie Stadt160,819
183Dahme-Spreewald160,793
184Teltow-Fläming160,448
185Cloppenburg160,176
186Oldenburg (Oldenburg), Kreisfreie Stadt159,610
187Würzburg, Landkreis158,580
188Emmendingen158,177
189Waldeck-Frankenberg156,607
190Osnabrück, Kreisfreie Stadt156,315
191Solingen, Kreisfreie Stadt155,768
192Schaumburg155,599
193Bad Kreuznach155,297
194Nordwestmecklenburg155,265
195Herne, Kreisfreie Stadt154,417
196Havelland153,874
197Heidelberg, Stadtkreis152,113
198Calw151,461
199Oberallgäu150,478
200Landshut, Landkreis150,316
201Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt149,743
202Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis149,068
203Hameln-Pyrmont147,755
204Bamberg, Landkreis144,425
205Dachau144,407
206Trier-Saarburg144,337
207Saarpfalz-Kreis143,851
208Mansfeld-Südharz143,246
209Schwandorf143,060
210Höxter142,788
211Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis141,584
212Regensburg, Kreisfreie Stadt140,276
213Goslar137,833
214Unterallgäu137,484
215Heidekreis136,251
216Rottweil135,319
217Gotha135,155
218Olpe134,947
219Ostallgäu134,771
220Northeim134,661
221Vechta134,188
222Grafschaft Bentheim133,678
223Neunkirchen133,222
224Tuttlingen133,198
225Ebersberg133,007
226Dithmarschen132,665
227Verden132,459
228Erlangen-Höchstadt132,012
229Bad Dürkheim131,041
230Starnberg130,811
231Weilheim-Schongau130,387
232Erding130,238
233Peine130,147
234Steinburg130,017
235Main-Tauber-Kreis129,857
236Wittenberg129,438
237Donau-Ries129,422
238Ingolstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt129,136
239Aichach-Friedberg128,435
240Altenkirchen (Westerwald)128,373
241Heidenheim127,947
242Miltenberg127,909
243Neumarkt i. d. OPf.127,826
244Sigmaringen127,101
245Plön126,643
246Main-Spessart126,295
247Ahrweiler126,102
248Eichstätt125,858
249Oldenburg, Landkreis125,778
250Schmalkalden-Meiningen125,574

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

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

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. Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_r_pjanaggr3/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank NUTS 3 areas of Germany by population using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which area has the highest population?

Berlin, with 3.42 million in 2014, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt, with 34,084 in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population on 1 January by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_pjanaggr3). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Population: other rankings

NUTS 3 areas of Germany: more rankings