Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2015, at 5.11 million. Trier had the lowest, at 521,863. The median was 1.81 million and the figure for Germany was 81.2 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,108,290Düsseldorf
Lowest521,863Trier
Median1,808,37038 regions
Germany81,197,537History

All regions, 2015

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,108,290 persons5,108,290OberbayernOberbayern: 4,519,979 persons4,519,979KölnKöln: 4,361,724 persons4,361,724StuttgartStuttgart: 4,008,288 persons4,008,288DarmstadtDarmstadt: 3,863,818 persons3,863,818ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,557,772 persons3,557,772BerlinBerlin: 3,469,849 persons3,469,849Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,830,864 persons2,830,864KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,721,266 persons2,721,266MünsterMünster: 2,580,664 persons2,580,664Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,460,857 persons2,460,857BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,457,872 persons2,457,872Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,235,548 persons2,235,548FreiburgFreiburg: 2,191,622 persons2,191,622ThüringenThüringen: 2,156,759 persons2,156,759HannoverHannover: 2,108,413 persons2,108,413DetmoldDetmold: 2,029,648 persons2,029,648Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,012,517 persons2,012,517SchwabenSchwaben: 1,821,271 persons1,821,271TübingenTübingen: 1,795,468 persons1,795,468HamburgHamburg: 1,762,791 persons1,762,791MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,715,195 persons1,715,195LüneburgLüneburg: 1,677,715 persons1,677,715Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,599,138 persons1,599,138DresdenDresden: 1,592,765 persons1,592,765BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,579,754 persons1,579,754KoblenzKoblenz: 1,477,202 persons1,477,202ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,463,341 persons1,463,341UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,298,849 persons1,298,849KasselKassel: 1,201,050 persons1,201,050NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,197,558 persons1,197,558OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,082,761 persons1,082,761OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,055,955 persons1,055,955GießenGießen: 1,029,020 persons1,029,020LeipzigLeipzig: 999,168 persons999,168SaarlandSaarland: 989,035 persons989,035BremenBremen: 661,888 persons661,888TrierTrier: 521,863 persons521,863
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2015
persons
Change on 2014
1Düsseldorf5,108,290+0.4%
2Oberbayern4,519,979+1.1%
3Köln4,361,724+0.7%
4Stuttgart4,008,288+0.9%
5Darmstadt3,863,818+1.1%
6Arnsberg3,557,772+0.2%
7Berlin3,469,849+1.4%
8Schleswig-Holstein2,830,864+0.5%
9Karlsruhe2,721,266+0.7%
10Münster2,580,664+0.3%
11Weser-Ems2,460,857+0.6%
12Brandenburg2,457,872+0.4%
13Sachsen-Anhalt2,235,548-0.4%
14Freiburg2,191,622+0.8%
15Thüringen2,156,759-0.2%
16Hannover2,108,413+0.4%
17Detmold2,029,648+0.3%
18Rheinhessen-Pfalz2,012,517+0.6%
19Schwaben1,821,271+0.8%
20Tübingen1,795,468+0.8%
21Hamburg1,762,791+0.9%
22Mittelfranken1,715,195+0.5%
23Lüneburg1,677,715+0.5%
24Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,599,138+0.2%
25Dresden1,592,765+0.1%
26Braunschweig1,579,754+0.3%
27Koblenz1,477,202+0.2%
28Chemnitz1,463,341-0.4%
29Unterfranken1,298,849+0.1%
30Kassel1,201,050+0.1%
31Niederbayern1,197,558+0.7%
32Oberpfalz1,082,761+0.4%
33Oberfranken1,055,955-0%
34Gießen1,029,020+0.6%
35Leipzig999,168+1.3%
36Saarland989,035-0.2%
37Bremen661,888+0.7%
38Trier521,863+0.5%

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 regions 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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Questions

Which region has the highest population?

Düsseldorf, with 5.11 million in 2015, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 521,863 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.

Population: other rankings

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2): more rankings