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

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by population

Düsseldorf had the highest population of 38 regions in 2023, at 5.22 million. Trier had the lowest, at 524,876. The median was 1.9 million and the figure for Germany was 83.12 million. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest5,222,540Düsseldorf
Lowest524,876Trier
Median1,895,68538 regions
Germany83,118,501History

All regions, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

DüsseldorfDüsseldorf: 5,222,540 persons5,222,540OberbayernOberbayern: 4,705,040 persons4,705,040KölnKöln: 4,461,422 persons4,461,422StuttgartStuttgart: 4,142,738 persons4,142,738DarmstadtDarmstadt: 4,001,146 persons4,001,146BerlinBerlin: 3,632,853 persons3,632,853ArnsbergArnsberg: 3,570,099 persons3,570,099Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein: 2,939,283 persons2,939,283KarlsruheKarlsruhe: 2,832,121 persons2,832,121MünsterMünster: 2,640,307 persons2,640,307Weser-EmsWeser-Ems: 2,559,680 persons2,559,680BrandenburgBrandenburg: 2,545,159 persons2,545,159FreiburgFreiburg: 2,304,974 persons2,304,974Sachsen-AnhaltSachsen-Anhalt: 2,150,239 persons2,150,239ThüringenThüringen: 2,118,830 persons2,118,830HannoverHannover: 2,117,034 persons2,117,034DetmoldDetmold: 2,070,052 persons2,070,052Rheinhessen-PfalzRheinhessen-Pfalz: 2,061,294 persons2,061,294SchwabenSchwaben: 1,903,481 persons1,903,481TübingenTübingen: 1,887,888 persons1,887,888HamburgHamburg: 1,832,675 persons1,832,675MittelfrankenMittelfranken: 1,782,419 persons1,782,419LüneburgLüneburg: 1,716,631 persons1,716,631BraunschweigBraunschweig: 1,589,602 persons1,589,602DresdenDresden: 1,588,724 persons1,588,724Mecklenburg-VorpommernMecklenburg-Vorpommern: 1,576,049 persons1,576,049KoblenzKoblenz: 1,522,385 persons1,522,385ChemnitzChemnitz: 1,397,272 persons1,397,272UnterfrankenUnterfranken: 1,310,561 persons1,310,561NiederbayernNiederbayern: 1,244,102 persons1,244,102KasselKassel: 1,199,039 persons1,199,039OberpfalzOberpfalz: 1,107,750 persons1,107,750LeipzigLeipzig: 1,063,971 persons1,063,971OberfrankenOberfranken: 1,051,868 persons1,051,868GießenGießen: 1,036,748 persons1,036,748SaarlandSaarland: 1,011,891 persons1,011,891BremenBremen: 695,758 persons695,758TrierTrier: 524,876 persons524,876
persons. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankRegions2023
persons		Change on 2022
1Düsseldorf Series break5,222,540+0.5%
2Oberbayern Series break4,705,040-0.5%
3Köln Series break4,461,422-0.3%
4Stuttgart Series break4,142,738-0.2%
5Darmstadt Series break4,001,146-0.6%
6Berlin Series break3,632,853-1.2%
7Arnsberg Series break3,570,099+0.1%
8Schleswig-Holstein Series break2,939,283+0.6%
9Karlsruhe Series break2,832,121+0.7%
10Münster Series break2,640,307+0.3%
11Weser-Ems Series break2,559,680+0.2%
12Brandenburg Series break2,545,159+0.3%
13Freiburg Series break2,304,974+0.9%
14Sachsen-Anhalt Series break2,150,239-0.9%
15Thüringen Series break2,118,830+0.5%
16Hannover Series break2,117,034-1.5%
17Detmold Series break2,070,052+0.6%
18Rheinhessen-Pfalz Series break2,061,294-0.3%
19Schwaben Series break1,903,481-0.8%
20Tübingen Series break1,887,888+0.6%
21Hamburg Series break1,832,675-1.1%
22Mittelfranken Series break1,782,419+0.3%
23Lüneburg Series break1,716,631-0.9%
24Braunschweig Series break1,589,602-0.1%
25Dresden Series break1,588,724+0.3%
26Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Series break1,576,049-2.2%
27Koblenz Series break1,522,385+1.3%
28Chemnitz Series break1,397,272-0.3%
29Unterfranken Series break1,310,561-0.8%
30Niederbayern Series break1,244,102-0.7%
31Kassel Series break1,199,039-1.5%
32Oberpfalz Series break1,107,750-0.8%
33Leipzig Series break1,063,971+0.6%
34Oberfranken Series break1,051,868-0.9%
35Gießen Series break1,036,748-1.3%
36Saarland Series break1,011,891+3%
37Bremen Series break695,758+2.9%
38Trier Series break524,876-2.2%

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 5.22 million in 2023, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which region has the lowest population?

Trier, with 524,876 in 2023.

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