Germany stands at a demographic crossroads, where an aging, shrinking native population is being balanced by steady immigration, shaping a nation that is both Europe's economic powerhouse and a society grappling with profound change.
Key Takeaways
- Germany's population on 31 December 2022 was 84,301,107 inhabitants, marking a 0.35% increase from the previous year
- The median age in Germany in 2023 is 47.8 years, one of the highest in the world
- Germany's fertility rate in 2022 was 1.46 children per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1
- Germany's GDP nominal in 2023 was $4.429 trillion USD, making it the largest economy in Europe
- Germany's GDP per capita (nominal) in 2023 was $52,824 USD
- GDP growth rate in Germany in 2023 was -0.3%
- Germany's total area is 357,582 square kilometers
- Land boundaries with Germany total 3,694 km, bordering 9 countries
- Coastline of Germany is 2,389 km
- Federal government system is a federal parliamentary republic
- Head of state is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, elected 2017, re-elected 2022
- Head of government is Chancellor Olaf Scholz since December 2021
- Number of universities in Germany: 417 (2023)
- Tertiary education attainment rate (25-34 years) in 2022: 32%
- PISA 2022 average score in reading: 480, math: 475, science: 492
Germany's aging and growing population faces economic pressures despite being Europe's largest economy.
Demographics
- Germany's population on 31 December 2022 was 84,301,107 inhabitants, marking a 0.35% increase from the previous year
- The median age in Germany in 2023 is 47.8 years, one of the highest in the world
- Germany's fertility rate in 2022 was 1.46 children per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1
- As of 2023, 26.7% of Germany's population is aged 65 or older
- Germany's net migration rate in 2022 was 3.5 migrants per 1,000 population
- In 2022, 13.1 million people in Germany had a migration background, representing 15.7% of the total population
- Life expectancy at birth for males in Germany in 2022 was 78.9 years
- Life expectancy at birth for females in Germany in 2022 was 83.7 years
- Germany's urban population percentage in 2023 is 77.6%
- The population density of Germany in 2023 is 232 people per square kilometer
- In 2022, births in Germany totaled 692,989, a decrease of 1.3% from 2021
- Deaths in Germany in 2022 numbered 1,066,341, resulting in a natural population decrease of 373,352
- Germany's largest city Berlin had 3,677,472 inhabitants as of 31 December 2022
- Hamburg's population as of 31 December 2022 was 1,848,753
- Munich had 1,512,456 residents on 31 December 2022
- Germany's foreign population in 2022 was 13.4 million, or 16.0% of total population
- The largest group of foreigners in Germany in 2022 were Turks with 1.44 million
- 20.2% of Germany's population in 2022 lived in the two largest states: North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria
- Germany's sex ratio at birth in 2023 is 1.05 males per female
- Infant mortality rate in Germany in 2022 was 3.1 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Total dependency ratio in Germany in 2023 is 55.4%
- Youth dependency ratio is 21.2%
- Elderly dependency ratio is 34.2%
- Germany's population growth rate in 2023 is 0.21%
- In 2021, 25.8 million people in Germany were at risk of poverty or social exclusion
- 41.9% of single-parent households in Germany in 2021 were at risk of poverty
- Germany's working-age population (15-64) in 2023 constitutes 64.1% of total population
- Muslim population in Germany estimated at 5.3-5.6 million in 2020, or 6.4-6.7%
- Jewish population in Germany is approximately 118,000 as of 2023
- Germany's Roma population is estimated at 150,000-500,000
Demographics Interpretation
Germany is a nation masterfully fighting population decline through immigration, keeping its median age a sprightly 47.8 while its social systems stoically bear the weight of a 26.7% senior citizenry, all in a country so densely urbanized that finding solitude is statistically a greater challenge than finding a Turkish restaurant.
Economy
- Germany's GDP nominal in 2023 was $4.429 trillion USD, making it the largest economy in Europe
- Germany's GDP per capita (nominal) in 2023 was $52,824 USD
- GDP growth rate in Germany in 2023 was -0.3%
- Unemployment rate in Germany in December 2023 was 5.9%
- Inflation rate (CPI) in Germany in 2023 averaged 5.9%
- Germany's public debt-to-GDP ratio in 2023 was 66.1%
- Exports of goods and services in 2023 were €1,611 billion
- Imports of goods and services in 2023 were €1,554 billion
- Germany's trade surplus in 2023 was €1,566 billion for goods
- Automobiles accounted for 16.6% of Germany's exports in 2023, valued at €153.2 billion
- Machinery exports from Germany in 2023 were €172.6 billion
- Minimum wage in Germany as of January 2024 is €12.41 per hour
- Average gross monthly earnings in Germany in 2022 were €4,105
- Labor force participation rate in Germany (15-74 years) in 2023 was 61.1%
- Germany's corporate tax rate effective in 2023 is 29.9% including trade tax
- VAT standard rate in Germany is 19%, reduced rate 7%
- Germany's R&D expenditure in 2022 was 3.13% of GDP
- Number of companies in Germany in 2022 was 3.4 million
- Germany's stock market capitalization (DAX) as of end 2023 was around €1.8 trillion
- Renewable energy share in Germany's electricity consumption in 2023 was 52.5%
- Germany's total energy consumption in 2022 was 10,013 petajoules
- Coal production in Germany in 2022 was 104.3 million tons
- Natural gas consumption in Germany in 2022 fell 12.8% to 829 billion kWh
Economy Interpretation
While Germany's mighty export engine purrs along, delivering a hefty trade surplus on the back of its iconic cars and machinery, the domestic patient is running a slight fever, with stagnant growth, persistent inflation, and an energy transition that is still giving it the shakes.
Geography and Environment
- Germany's total area is 357,582 square kilometers
- Land boundaries with Germany total 3,694 km, bordering 9 countries
- Coastline of Germany is 2,389 km
- Germany's highest point is Zugspitze at 2,963 meters
- Lowest point is Neuendorf-Sachsenbande at -3.5 meters
- Mean elevation of Germany is 263 meters
- Germany's largest river is the Rhine at 1,230 km within Germany
- Lake Constance (Bodensee) area shared with Switzerland and Austria is 536 km²
- Forest coverage in Germany is 32% of land area as of 2022
- Arable land in Germany constitutes 33.2% of total land
- Permanent crops are 0.6%, pastures 14.7%
- Annual precipitation average in Germany is 700 mm
- Germany's climate is temperate seasonal with cold winters averaging -4°C in Alps
- Protected areas cover 38% of Germany's land
- Number of national parks in Germany is 16, covering 1% of land
- Natura 2000 sites cover 23% of Germany's land and 30% of marine areas
- Germany's CO2 emissions in 2022 were 654 million tons, down 4.9% from 2021
- Share of renewables in gross electricity consumption reached 52.1% in 2023
- Air quality index average PM2.5 in Germany 2023 was 10.5 µg/m³
- Germany's recycling rate for municipal waste in 2021 was 69.1%
- Total municipal waste generated in 2021 was 52.2 million tons
- Wind power capacity installed in Germany end 2023 was 66.5 GW onshore and 8.0 GW offshore
- Solar PV capacity end 2023 was 81.8 GW
- Biodiversity: Germany has 47,000 animal species and 26,000 plant species
- Germany's greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 were 746 million tons CO2 equivalents
Geography and Environment Interpretation
Germany is a densely packed, environmentally conscious powerhouse that fits a continent's worth of borders and climate zones into a modest area, then diligently works to shrink its considerable carbon footprint while meticulously sorting its trash and harnessing the wind and sun.
Government and Politics
- Federal government system is a federal parliamentary republic
- Head of state is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, elected 2017, re-elected 2022
- Head of government is Chancellor Olaf Scholz since December 2021
- Bicameral legislature: Bundestag (736 seats) and Bundesrat (69 votes)
- Last federal election was 26 September 2021, next due 2025
- Current governing coalition is SPD (206 seats), Greens (118), FDP (92)
- Suffrage age is 18 for federal elections, 16 in some states
- Germany has 16 federal states (Länder)
- Administrative divisions include 294 districts (Kreise) and 107 independent cities
- Military expenditure in 2023 was 1.57% of GDP
- Active military personnel: 181,600, reserves 34,600
- Germany is a member of NATO since 1955, EU since 1957, UN since 1973
- Corruption Perceptions Index rank for Germany in 2023 was 9th out of 180, score 78
- Press Freedom Index rank 2023: 21st, score 83.85
- Human Development Index 2022: 0.950, ranked 6th globally
- Government budget balance in 2023 was -2.1% of GDP
- Total government revenue in 2023 was €1,766 billion
- Government expenditure in 2023 was €1,877 billion
- Number of federal ministers in Scholz cabinet: 17
- Germany's constitution is the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) since 1949
- Federal Constitutional Court has 16 justices
- Voter turnout in 2021 federal election was 76.6%
- Women in Bundestag after 2021 election: 34.9%
- EU Parliament seats for Germany: 96
- Germany contributes 20.44% to EU budget 2021-2027, largest share
Government and Politics Interpretation
Germany is a meticulously engineered democracy where the Chancellor steers the coalition ship, the President serves as its dignified figurehead, and the citizens—who can vote for beer at 18 but sometimes at 16—keep a watchful eye on a system that proudly balances its checkbook in public, ranks high on the global integrity scoreboard, and foots the largest bill in the European neighborhood.
Society and Culture
- Number of universities in Germany: 417 (2023)
- Tertiary education attainment rate (25-34 years) in 2022: 32%
- PISA 2022 average score in reading: 480, math: 475, science: 492
- Healthcare expenditure in 2022: 12.7% of GDP
- Number of hospital beds per 1,000 people: 7.8 (2022)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 4.5 (2022)
- Obesity rate (BMI >30) adults 2022: 25.5% males, 23.6% females
- Internet users in Germany 2023: 84.0% of population
- Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people: 126.5 (2023)
- Broadband fixed subscriptions per 100: 45.2 (2023)
- German language speakers worldwide: 130-150 million native
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany: 52 (2023)
- Annual tourists to Germany: 39.6 million overnight stays in 2023 (domestic+foreign)
- Crime rate: 5,940 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022
- Homicide rate: 0.9 per 100,000 in 2022
- Beer consumption per capita: 99.7 liters in 2022
- Football clubs in Germany: over 25,000, Bundesliga attendance average 42,000 per match 2023/24
- Nobel laureates from Germany: 114 (up to 2023)
- Gender pay gap in Germany 2022: 18%
- Share of women in workforce: 56.4% (2023)
- Happiness score (World Happiness Report 2023): 6.892, ranked 16th
Society and Culture Interpretation
Germany is impressively literate and Nobel-studded, drinks beer like a champion, and has a hospital bed for nearly every tenth person, yet it still puzzles over why one in three young adults finishes university, almost half its women earn less than men, and its collective happiness ranks just sixteenth despite all that superb football attendance.
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