NUTS 3 areas of Germany by population

Name: NUTS 3 areas of Germany by population, 2015
Creator: Eurostat, European Commission
License: Eurostat reuse policy (commercial and non-commercial reuse, attribution required)

Berlin had the highest population of 400 areas in 2015, at 3.47 million. Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt had the lowest, at 34,011. The median was 151,400 and the figure for Germany was 81.2 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest3,469,849Berlin

Lowest34,011Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt

Median151,400400 areas

Germany81,197,537History

Top 40 areas, 2015

CSV Chart (SVG)

persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

Rank	Areas	2015 persons	Change on 2014
1	Berlin	3,469,849	+1.4%
2	Hamburg	1,762,791	+0.9%
3	München, Kreisfreie Stadt	1,429,584	+1.5%
4	Region Hannover	1,128,037	+0.8%
5	Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt	1,046,680	+1.2%
6	Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt	717,624	+2.3%
7	Recklinghausen	613,092	-0.1%
8	Stuttgart, Stadtkreis	612,441	+1.3%
9	Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt	604,527	+1%
10	Rhein-Sieg-Kreis	585,781	+0.6%
11	Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt	580,511	+0.8%
12	Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt	573,784	+0.7%
13	Bremen, Kreisfreie Stadt	551,767	+0.6%
14	Städteregion Aachen	547,661	+0.5%
15	Leipzig, Kreisfreie Stadt	544,479	+2.4%
16	Dresden, Kreisfreie Stadt	536,308	+1%
17	Rhein-Neckar-Kreis	534,729	+0.7%
18	Ludwigsburg	526,377	+0.9%
19	Esslingen	516,779	+0.9%
20	Nürnberg, Kreisfreie Stadt	501,072	+0.4%
21	Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt	485,465	-0.3%
22	Mettmann	477,760	+0.2%
23	Rhein-Erft-Kreis	459,448	+0.6%
24	Wesel	457,244	0%
25	Rhein-Kreis Neuss	442,522	+0.4%
26	Steinfurt	437,127	+0.6%
27	Karlsruhe, Landkreis	431,315	+0.5%
28	Ortenaukreis	415,639	+0.7%
29	Rems-Murr-Kreis	414,016	+0.7%
30	Märkischer Kreis	413,820	-0.6%
31	Main-Kinzig-Kreis	407,619	+0.6%
32	Unna	391,774	0%
33	Böblingen	374,279	+1%
34	Borken	365,191	+0.3%
35	Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt	361,876	0%
36	Gütersloh	354,463	+0.6%
37	Osnabrück, Landkreis	351,316	+0.3%
38	Erzgebirgskreis	349,582	-0.5%
39	Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt	345,425	+0.6%
40	Lippe	345,127	-0.1%
41	Offenbach, Landkreis	341,669	+1%
42	München, Landkreis	332,800	+0.9%
43	Bielefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt	329,782	+0.3%
44	Heilbronn, Landkreis	329,250	+1%
45	Regionalverband Saarbrücken	325,604	-0.1%
46	Zwickau	325,137	-0.6%
47	Göttingen	324,013	+0.4%
48	Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis	322,916	+0.1%
49	Emsland	315,757	+0.7%
50	Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt	313,958	+0.9%
51	Mittelsachsen	312,711	-0.6%
52	Minden-Lübbecke	309,216	-0%
53	Ostalbkreis	308,205	+0.4%
54	Bautzen	306,570	-0.6%
55	Kleve	304,963	+0.7%
56	Pinneberg	304,087	+1%
57	Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt	302,178	+0.8%
58	Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis	300,051	+0.3%
59	Mannheim, Stadtkreis	299,844	+1.1%
60	Paderborn	299,071	+0.8%
61	Wetteraukreis	297,369	+0.7%
62	Soest	296,742	+0.6%
63	Viersen	295,067	0%
64	Darmstadt-Dieburg	287,966	+0.9%
65	Augsburg, Kreisfreie Stadt	281,111	+1.7%
66	Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis	279,497	+0.4%
67	Reutlingen	278,031	+0.7%
68	Siegen-Wittgenstein	275,909	+0.4%
69	Konstanz	275,785	+0.9%
70	Ravensburg	275,339	+0.7%
71	Wiesbaden, Kreisfreie Stadt	275,116	+0.5%
72	Hildesheim	274,554	0%
73	Warendorf	273,412	+0.3%
74	Oberbergischer Kreis	270,618	+0.1%
75	Rendsburg-Eckernförde	268,628	+0.2%
76	Segeberg	264,972	+0.7%
77	Bergstraße	263,822	+0.6%
78	Mecklenburgische Seenplatte	261,733	-0.3%
79	Hochsauerlandkreis	261,561	-0.2%
80	Groß-Gerau	260,793	+1.4%
81	Görlitz	260,188	-0.8%
82	Gießen, Landkreis	259,834	+2.4%
83	Düren	259,073	+0.3%
84	Gelsenkirchen, Kreisfreie Stadt	257,651	-0.1%
85	Leipzig	257,647	0%
86	Mönchengladbach, Kreisfreie Stadt	256,853	+0.6%
87	Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald	252,749	+1%
88	Rosenheim, Landkreis	251,850	+0.8%
89	Lahn-Dill-Kreis	251,440	0%
90	Göppingen	250,117	+0.5%
91	Heinsberg	249,310	+0.4%
92	Herford	249,219	+0.1%
93	Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt	248,502	+0.5%
94	Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge	245,954	0%
95	Harburg	245,199	+1%
96	Meißen	243,745	0%
97	Chemnitz, Kreisfreie Stadt	243,521	+0.6%
98	Kiel, Kreisfreie Stadt	243,148	+0.7%
99	Augsburg, Landkreis	242,697	+0.7%
100	Marburg-Biedenkopf	241,598	-0%
101	Vorpommern-Greifswald	237,697	-0.2%
102	Stormarn	236,705	+0.9%
103	Kassel, Landkreis	233,451	0%
104	Halle (Saale), Kreisfreie Stadt	232,470	+0.4%
105	Vogtlandkreis	232,390	-0.7%
106	Magdeburg, Kreisfreie Stadt	232,306	+0.6%
107	Hochtaunuskreis	230,798	+0.7%
108	Main-Taunus-Kreis	229,976	+0.9%
109	Rastatt	224,687	+0.6%
110	Lörrach	223,692	+0.8%
111	Vorpommern-Rügen	223,470	+0.2%
112	Krefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt	222,500	+0.2%
113	Freiburg im Breisgau, Stadtkreis	222,203	+0.9%
114	Harz	219,618	-0.6%
115	Tübingen, Landkreis	218,355	+0.8%
116	Fulda	217,326	+0.5%
117	Coesfeld	215,996	+0.3%
118	Lübeck, Kreisfreie Stadt	214,420	+0.7%
119	Ludwigslust-Parchim	212,631	+0.3%
120	Landkreis Rostock	211,878	+0.6%
121	Diepholz	211,093	+0.5%
122	Mayen-Koblenz	210,441	+0.3%
123	Fürstenfeldbruck	210,278	+1%
124	Bodenseekreis	209,386	+0.9%
125	Oberhausen, Kreisfreie Stadt	209,292	+0.1%
126	Potsdam-Mittelmark	207,498	+1%
127	Mainz, Kreisfreie Stadt	206,991	+1.3%
128	Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt	206,219	+0.7%
129	Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis	206,116	+0.5%
130	Oberhavel	204,898	+0.9%
131	Mainz-Bingen	204,514	+0.6%
132	Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt	204,167	+0.4%
133	Westerwaldkreis	199,131	+0.2%
134	Ostholstein	198,355	+0.3%
135	Stade	197,448	+0.5%
136	Nordsachsen	197,042	-0.2%
137	Cuxhaven	196,787	+0.1%
138	Salzlandkreis	196,750	-1%
139	Saarlouis	195,632	-0.2%
140	Schleswig-Flensburg	195,593	+0.2%
141	Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt	194,747	+0.3%
142	Enzkreis	193,728	+0.5%
143	Herzogtum Lauenburg	190,703	+0.9%
144	Biberach	190,438	+0.9%
145	Alb-Donau-Kreis	189,129	+0.7%
146	Schwäbisch Hall	188,974	+0.7%
147	Märkisch-Oderland	188,422	+0.4%
148	Euskirchen	188,158	+0.4%
149	Aurich	187,998	+0.5%
150	Regensburg, Landkreis	187,205	+0.7%
151	Hagen, Kreisfreie Stadt	186,716	+0.4%
152	Saalekreis	186,510	-0.6%
153	Zollernalbkreis	186,360	+0.9%
154	Passau, Landkreis	186,284	+0.3%
155	Burgenlandkreis	184,055	-0.5%
156	Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis	182,117	+0.5%
157	Schwalm-Eder-Kreis	179,466	0%
158	Ansbach, Landkreis	179,419	+0.3%
159	Neuwied	179,317	-0.1%
160	Lüneburg, Landkreis	178,122	+0.8%
161	Oder-Spree	177,823	+0.6%
162	Hamm, Kreisfreie Stadt	176,580	+0.3%
163	Celle	176,157	+0.3%
164	Barnim	174,981	+0.7%
165	Börde	172,829	-0.1%
166	Aschaffenburg, Landkreis	172,776	-0%
167	Gifhorn	172,541	+0.6%
168	Traunstein	171,978	+0.9%
169	Limburg-Weilburg	170,385	+0.2%
170	Freising	170,357	+0.8%
171	Neu-Ulm	167,847	+0.7%
172	Wartburgkreis	167,719	-0.1%
173	Mülheim an der Ruhr, Kreisfreie Stadt	167,108	+0.3%
174	Nürnberger Land	165,918	+0.6%
175	Leer	165,809	+0.6%
176	Waldshut	165,211	+0.6%
177	Anhalt-Bitterfeld	165,076	-1.1%
178	Potsdam, Kreisfreie Stadt	164,042	+1.6%
179	Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Kreisfreie Stadt	163,832	+1.4%
180	Cloppenburg	162,350	+1.4%
181	Nordfriesland	162,203	+0.2%
182	Dahme-Spreewald	161,952	+0.7%
183	Rotenburg (Wümme)	161,842	+0.3%
184	Leverkusen, Kreisfreie Stadt	161,540	+0.4%
185	Teltow-Fläming	161,488	+0.6%
186	Oldenburg (Oldenburg), Kreisfreie Stadt	160,907	+0.8%
187	Emmendingen	159,708	+1%
188	Würzburg, Landkreis	159,253	+0.4%
189	Osnabrück, Kreisfreie Stadt	156,897	+0.4%
190	Solingen, Kreisfreie Stadt	156,771	+0.6%
191	Waldeck-Frankenberg	156,460	-0.1%
192	Bad Kreuznach	155,944	+0.4%
193	Schaumburg	155,847	+0.2%
194	Nordwestmecklenburg	155,424	+0.1%
195	Havelland	155,408	+1%
196	Heidelberg, Stadtkreis	154,715	+1.7%
197	Herne, Kreisfreie Stadt	154,608	+0.1%
198	Calw	152,766	+0.9%
199	Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt	151,879	+1.4%
200	Landshut, Landkreis	151,819	+1%
201	Oberallgäu	150,981	+0.3%
202	Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis	150,051	+0.7%
203	Hameln-Pyrmont	147,813	0%
204	Dachau	146,279	+1.3%
205	Trier-Saarburg	145,227	+0.6%
206	Bamberg, Landkreis	144,695	+0.2%
207	Schwandorf	143,614	+0.4%
208	Saarpfalz-Kreis	143,532	-0.2%
209	Höxter	142,770	-0%
210	Regensburg, Kreisfreie Stadt	142,292	+1.4%
211	Mansfeld-Südharz	142,054	-0.8%
212	Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis	141,651	0%
213	Unterallgäu	138,712	+0.9%
214	Goslar	137,256	-0.4%
215	Heidekreis	136,200	-0%
216	Vechta	136,184	+1.5%
217	Rottweil	135,912	+0.4%
218	Ostallgäu	135,894	+0.8%
219	Gotha	135,381	+0.2%
220	Ebersberg	134,873	+1.4%
221	Olpe	134,759	-0.1%
222	Tuttlingen	134,607	+1.1%
223	Grafschaft Bentheim	134,329	+0.5%
224	Northeim	133,905	-0.6%
225	Verden	133,215	+0.6%
226	Neunkirchen	133,021	-0.2%
227	Erlangen-Höchstadt	132,830	+0.6%
228	Dithmarschen	132,685	0%
229	Starnberg	131,873	+0.8%
230	Erding	131,839	+1.2%
231	Bad Dürkheim	131,530	+0.4%
232	Weilheim-Schongau	131,190	+0.6%
233	Ingolstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt	131,002	+1.4%
234	Peine	130,601	+0.3%
235	Main-Tauber-Kreis	130,299	+0.3%
236	Steinburg	130,218	+0.2%
237	Donau-Ries	130,203	+0.6%
238	Aichach-Friedberg	129,294	+0.7%
239	Neumarkt i. d. OPf.	128,975	+0.9%
240	Heidenheim	128,894	+0.7%
241	Wittenberg	128,721	-0.6%
242	Altenkirchen (Westerwald)	128,228	-0.1%
243	Miltenberg	127,941	0%
244	Sigmaringen	127,716	+0.5%
245	Eichstätt	127,189	+1.1%
246	Plön	126,865	+0.2%
247	Oldenburg, Landkreis	126,798	+0.8%
248	Ahrweiler	126,643	+0.4%
249	Germersheim	126,266	+0.7%
250	Alzey-Worms	125,998	+0.6%

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 3.47 million in 2015, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which area has the lowest population?

Zweibrücken, Kreisfreie Stadt, with 34,011 in 2015.

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.