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

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2020, at 5.21 million. Trier had the lowest, at 533,113. The median was 1.88 million and the figure for Germany was 83.17 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,207,457Düsseldorf
Lowest533,113Trier
Median1,881,70438 regions
Germany83,166,711History

All regions, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,207,457 persons5,207,457OberbayernOberbayern: 4,710,865 persons4,710,865KölnKöln: 4,478,847 persons4,478,847StuttgartStuttgart: 4,154,223 persons4,154,223DarmstadtDarmstadt: 4,019,961 persons4,019,961BerlinBerlin: 3,669,491 persons3,669,491ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,580,568 persons3,580,568Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,903,773 persons2,903,773KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,810,854 persons2,810,854MünsterMünster: 2,624,625 persons2,624,625Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,533,993 persons2,533,993BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,521,893 persons2,521,893FreiburgFreiburg: 2,271,351 persons2,271,351Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,194,782 persons2,194,782HannoverHannover: 2,148,238 persons2,148,238ThüringenThüringen: 2,133,378 persons2,133,378Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,062,567 persons2,062,567DetmoldDetmold: 2,055,724 persons2,055,724SchwabenSchwaben: 1,899,442 persons1,899,442TübingenTübingen: 1,863,966 persons1,863,966HamburgHamburg: 1,847,253 persons1,847,253MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,775,169 persons1,775,169LüneburgLüneburg: 1,716,448 persons1,716,448Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,608,138 persons1,608,138DresdenDresden: 1,596,566 persons1,596,566BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,594,929 persons1,594,929KoblenzKoblenz: 1,498,223 persons1,498,223ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,426,380 persons1,426,380UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,317,619 persons1,317,619NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,244,169 persons1,244,169KasselKassel: 1,219,473 persons1,219,473OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,112,102 persons1,112,102OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,065,371 persons1,065,371LeipzigLeipzig: 1,049,025 persons1,049,025GießenGießen: 1,048,646 persons1,048,646SaarlandSaarland: 986,887 persons986,887BremenBremen: 681,202 persons681,202TrierTrier: 533,113 persons533,113
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2020
persons		Change on 2019
1Düsseldorf5,207,457+0.1%
2Oberbayern4,710,865+0.5%
3Köln4,478,847+0.2%
4Stuttgart4,154,223+0.3%
5Darmstadt4,019,961+0.5%
6Berlin3,669,491+0.7%
7Arnsberg3,580,568-0.1%
8Schleswig-Holstein2,903,773+0.2%
9Karlsruhe2,810,854+0.2%
10Münster2,624,6250%
11Weser-Ems2,533,993+0.3%
12Brandenburg2,521,893+0.4%
13Freiburg2,271,351+0.3%
14Sachsen-Anhalt2,194,782-0.6%
15Hannover2,148,238-0.1%
16Thüringen2,133,378-0.5%
17Rheinhessen-Pfalz2,062,567+0.2%
18Detmold2,055,7240%
19Schwaben1,899,442+0.6%
20Tübingen1,863,966+0.4%
21Hamburg1,847,253+0.3%
22Mittelfranken1,775,169+0.3%
23Lüneburg1,716,448+0.3%
24Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,608,138-0.1%
25Dresden1,596,566-0.1%
26Braunschweig1,594,929-0.1%
27Koblenz1,498,223+0.2%
28Chemnitz1,426,380-0.7%
29Unterfranken1,317,6190%
30Niederbayern1,244,169+0.5%
31Kassel1,219,473-0%
32Oberpfalz1,112,102+0.3%
33Oberfranken1,065,371-0.2%
34Leipzig1,049,025+0.5%
35Gießen1,048,646+0.1%
36Saarland986,887-0.4%
37Bremen681,202-0.3%
38Trier533,113+0.4%

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 5.21 million in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 533,113 in 2020.

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