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

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2019, at 5.2 million. Trier had the lowest, at 531,007. The median was 1.87 million and the figure for Germany was 83.02 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,202,321Düsseldorf
Lowest531,007Trier
Median1,872,13638 regions
Germany83,019,213History

All regions, 2019

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,202,321 persons5,202,321OberbayernOberbayern: 4,686,163 persons4,686,163KölnKöln: 4,468,904 persons4,468,904StuttgartStuttgart: 4,143,418 persons4,143,418DarmstadtDarmstadt: 3,998,724 persons3,998,724BerlinBerlin: 3,644,826 persons3,644,826ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,582,497 persons3,582,497Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,896,712 persons2,896,712KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,805,129 persons2,805,129MünsterMünster: 2,623,619 persons2,623,619Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,525,333 persons2,525,333BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,511,917 persons2,511,917FreiburgFreiburg: 2,264,469 persons2,264,469Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,208,321 persons2,208,321HannoverHannover: 2,149,805 persons2,149,805ThüringenThüringen: 2,143,145 persons2,143,145Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,057,952 persons2,057,952DetmoldDetmold: 2,055,310 persons2,055,310SchwabenSchwaben: 1,887,754 persons1,887,754TübingenTübingen: 1,856,517 persons1,856,517HamburgHamburg: 1,841,179 persons1,841,179MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,770,401 persons1,770,401LüneburgLüneburg: 1,710,914 persons1,710,914Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,609,675 persons1,609,675DresdenDresden: 1,598,199 persons1,598,199BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,596,396 persons1,596,396KoblenzKoblenz: 1,495,885 persons1,495,885ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,436,445 persons1,436,445UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,317,124 persons1,317,124NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,238,528 persons1,238,528KasselKassel: 1,219,823 persons1,219,823OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,109,269 persons1,109,269OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,067,482 persons1,067,482GießenGießen: 1,047,262 persons1,047,262LeipzigLeipzig: 1,043,293 persons1,043,293SaarlandSaarland: 990,509 persons990,509BremenBremen: 682,986 persons682,986TrierTrier: 531,007 persons531,007
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2019
persons		Change on 2018
1Düsseldorf5,202,321+0.1%
2Oberbayern4,686,163+0.8%
3Köln4,468,904+0.3%
4Stuttgart4,143,418+0.4%
5Darmstadt3,998,724+0.5%
6Berlin3,644,826+0.9%
7Arnsberg3,582,497-0%
8Schleswig-Holstein2,896,712+0.2%
9Karlsruhe2,805,129+0.3%
10Münster2,623,619+0.1%
11Weser-Ems2,525,333+0.4%
12Brandenburg2,511,917+0.3%
13Freiburg2,264,469+0.4%
14Sachsen-Anhalt2,208,321-0.7%
15Hannover2,149,805+0.3%
16Thüringen2,143,145-0.4%
17Rheinhessen-Pfalz2,057,952+0.3%
18Detmold2,055,3100%
19Schwaben1,887,754+0.8%
20Tübingen1,856,517+0.6%
21Hamburg1,841,179+0.6%
22Mittelfranken1,770,401+0.6%
23Lüneburg1,710,914+0.3%
24Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,609,675-0.1%
25Dresden1,598,199-0%
26Braunschweig1,596,3960%
27Koblenz1,495,885+0.2%
28Chemnitz1,436,445-0.6%
29Unterfranken1,317,124+0.3%
30Niederbayern1,238,528+0.7%
31Kassel1,219,8230%
32Oberpfalz1,109,269+0.4%
33Oberfranken1,067,482+0.1%
34Gießen1,047,262+0.1%
35Leipzig1,043,293+0.5%
36Saarland990,509-0.4%
37Bremen682,986+0.3%
38Trier531,007+0.3%

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 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 531,007 in 2019.

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