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

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2022, at 5.2 million. Trier had the lowest, at 536,772. The median was 1.9 million and the figure for Germany was 83.24 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,197,679Düsseldorf
Lowest536,772Trier
Median1,897,01738 regions
Germany83,237,124History

All regions, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,197,679 persons5,197,679OberbayernOberbayern: 4,729,243 persons4,729,243KölnKöln: 4,472,956 persons4,472,956StuttgartStuttgart: 4,150,949 persons4,150,949DarmstadtDarmstadt: 4,026,564 persons4,026,564BerlinBerlin: 3,677,472 persons3,677,472ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,565,239 persons3,565,239Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,922,005 persons2,922,005KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,812,482 persons2,812,482MünsterMünster: 2,631,237 persons2,631,237Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,554,217 persons2,554,217BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,537,868 persons2,537,868FreiburgFreiburg: 2,285,156 persons2,285,156Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,169,253 persons2,169,253HannoverHannover: 2,149,859 persons2,149,859ThüringenThüringen: 2,108,863 persons2,108,863Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,066,524 persons2,066,524DetmoldDetmold: 2,057,480 persons2,057,480SchwabenSchwaben: 1,917,979 persons1,917,979TübingenTübingen: 1,876,055 persons1,876,055HamburgHamburg: 1,853,935 persons1,853,935MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,777,143 persons1,777,143LüneburgLüneburg: 1,731,531 persons1,731,531Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,611,160 persons1,611,160BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,591,424 persons1,591,424DresdenDresden: 1,583,267 persons1,583,267KoblenzKoblenz: 1,503,189 persons1,503,189ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,402,126 persons1,402,126UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,320,513 persons1,320,513NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,253,441 persons1,253,441KasselKassel: 1,217,688 persons1,217,688OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,116,741 persons1,116,741OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,061,929 persons1,061,929LeipzigLeipzig: 1,057,609 persons1,057,609GießenGießen: 1,050,765 persons1,050,765SaarlandSaarland: 982,348 persons982,348BremenBremen: 676,463 persons676,463TrierTrier: 536,772 persons536,772
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2022
persons		Change on 2021
1Düsseldorf5,197,679-0%
2Oberbayern4,729,243+0.2%
3Köln4,472,956-0.1%
4Stuttgart4,150,949-0%
5Darmstadt4,026,564-0%
6Berlin3,677,472+0.4%
7Arnsberg3,565,239-0.2%
8Schleswig-Holstein2,922,005+0.4%
9Karlsruhe2,812,482+0.2%
10Münster2,631,237+0.2%
11Weser-Ems2,554,217+0.5%
12Brandenburg2,537,868+0.3%
13Freiburg2,285,156+0.4%
14Sachsen-Anhalt2,169,253-0.5%
15Hannover2,149,859+0.1%
16Thüringen2,108,863-0.5%
17Rheinhessen-Pfalz2,066,524+0.2%
18Detmold2,057,480+0.2%
19Schwaben1,917,979+0.6%
20Tübingen1,876,055+0.5%
21Hamburg1,853,935+0.1%
22Mittelfranken1,777,143+0.1%
23Lüneburg1,731,531+0.5%
24Mecklenburg-Vorpommern1,611,1600%
25Braunschweig1,591,424+0.1%
26Dresden1,583,267-0.4%
27Koblenz1,503,189+0.2%
28Chemnitz1,402,126-0.8%
29Unterfranken1,320,513+0.2%
30Niederbayern1,253,441+0.5%
31Kassel1,217,688-0%
32Oberpfalz1,116,741+0.4%
33Oberfranken1,061,929-0%
34Leipzig1,057,609+0.4%
35Gießen1,050,765+0.2%
36Saarland982,348-0.2%
37Bremen676,463-0.5%
38Trier536,772+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 5.2 million in 2022, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 536,772 in 2022.

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