Data / Rankings / Population / Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2018, at 5.2 million. Trier had the lowest, at 529,597. The median was 1.86 million and the figure for Germany was 82.79 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,198,820Düsseldorf
Lowest529,597Trier
Median1,859,82438 regions
Germany82,792,351History

All regions, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,198,820 persons5,198,820OberbayernOberbayern: 4,649,534 persons4,649,534KölnKöln: 4,454,228 persons4,454,228StuttgartStuttgart: 4,126,688 persons4,126,688DarmstadtDarmstadt: 3,978,050 persons3,978,050BerlinBerlin: 3,613,495 persons3,613,495ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,583,590 persons3,583,590Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,889,821 persons2,889,821KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,795,783 persons2,795,783MünsterMünster: 2,621,153 persons2,621,153Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,516,457 persons2,516,457BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,504,040 persons2,504,040FreiburgFreiburg: 2,254,674 persons2,254,674Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,223,081 persons2,223,081ThüringenThüringen: 2,151,205 persons2,151,205HannoverHannover: 2,144,120 persons2,144,120DetmoldDetmold: 2,054,343 persons2,054,343Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,051,027 persons2,051,027SchwabenSchwaben: 1,873,368 persons1,873,368TübingenTübingen: 1,846,280 persons1,846,280HamburgHamburg: 1,830,584 persons1,830,584MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,759,643 persons1,759,643LüneburgLüneburg: 1,706,464 persons1,706,464Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,611,119 persons1,611,119DresdenDresden: 1,598,573 persons1,598,573BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,595,734 persons1,595,734KoblenzKoblenz: 1,493,055 persons1,493,055ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,444,953 persons1,444,953UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,313,375 persons1,313,375NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,230,037 persons1,230,037KasselKassel: 1,219,405 persons1,219,405OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,104,407 persons1,104,407OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,066,840 persons1,066,840GießenGießen: 1,045,807 persons1,045,807LeipzigLeipzig: 1,037,782 persons1,037,782SaarlandSaarland: 994,187 persons994,187BremenBremen: 681,032 persons681,032TrierTrier: 529,597 persons529,597
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2018
persons		Change on 2017
1Düsseldorf5,198,820+0.2%
2Oberbayern4,649,534+0.3%
3Köln4,454,228+0.3%
4Stuttgart4,126,688+0.7%
5Darmstadt3,978,050+0.7%
6Berlin3,613,495+1.1%
7Arnsberg3,583,590-0.1%
8Schleswig-Holstein2,889,821+0.3%
9Karlsruhe2,795,783+0.6%
10Münster2,621,153+0.1%
11Weser-Ems2,516,457+0.4%
12Brandenburg2,504,040+0.4%
13Freiburg2,254,674+0.7%
14Sachsen-Anhalt2,223,081-0.6%
15Thüringen2,151,205-0.3%
16Hannover2,144,120+0.2%
17Detmold2,054,3430%
18Rheinhessen-Pfalz2,051,027+0.3%
19Schwaben1,873,368+0.8%
20Tübingen1,846,280+0.6%
21Hamburg1,830,584+1.1%
22Mittelfranken1,759,643+0.5%
23Lüneburg1,706,464+0.1%
24Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,611,1190%
25Dresden1,598,573-0.1%
26Braunschweig1,595,7340%
27Koblenz1,493,055+0.1%
28Chemnitz1,444,953-0.6%
29Unterfranken1,313,375+0.3%
30Niederbayern1,230,037+0.9%
31Kassel1,219,405+0.1%
32Oberpfalz1,104,407+0.5%
33Oberfranken1,066,840+0.4%
34Gießen1,045,807+0.2%
35Leipzig1,037,782+1%
36Saarland994,187-0.2%
37Bremen681,032+0.3%
38Trier529,597+0.2%

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 5.2 million in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 529,597 in 2018.

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