Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Germany: population and ages

Germany: 83.7 million people on 1 January 2026, number 19 of 237 countries and areas by population.

The population peaked in 2024 at 84.6 million and is now 1.1% below that peak.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
83,741,228
Median age
45.7
Births in 2026
689,997
Deaths in 2026
1,042,378
Life expectancy at birth
81.9
Children per woman
1.46
Under 15
13.9%
65 and over
24.0%
Population pyramid, Germany, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+0200K200K400K400K600K600K800K800K
Population pyramid, Germany, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 69.8 million people, so the population is now 1.2 times as large.

The UN projects 690,000 births and 1.04 million deaths in 2026, 352,000 more deaths than births.

Deaths have outnumbered births every year since 1972.

More people move in than leave: net migration in 2026 is projected at plus 158,000.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024025M50M75M100M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Germany: 83.6M

Ages

The median age is 45.7, which is 14.6 years above the world’s 31.1.

14% of the people are under 15 and 24% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

People aged 65 and over have outnumbered children under 15 since 1999.

Women have 1.5 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 2.2 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 81.9 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 66.8.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100GermanyWorld
2026 Germany: 46World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 78.3 million people, 6.4% fewer than now, with a median age of 47.9.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240500K1M1.5M1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 690KDeaths: 1M

Compare Germany with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 35% of the people lived in cities, 39% in towns and semi-dense areas and 27% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 34% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet93.5%2024
Access to electricity100.0%2024
100.0%2024
99.2%2024
100.0%2024
Human Development Index0.9592023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 81.4 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 21.3 more years for women and 18.2 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 38.6 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 53.4.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 70.9 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 43.3 million to 111 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 16.8 million international migrants lived here, 19.8% of the population.

In mid-2024, 4.3 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Poland1,883,559
Türkiye1,504,743
Ukraine1,416,521
Russia1,137,448
Romania968,697
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
United States1,137,577
Switzerland371,816
Türkiye363,563
United Kingdom287,772
Austria268,460

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 100.

CityPopulation 2025
Berlin3,560,908
Essen2,717,087
Munich1,815,022
Hamburg1,759,377
Cologne1,125,292
Dusseldorf907,386
Frankfurt900,483
Stuttgart899,103
Bonn756,044
Dortmund748,106

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Germany every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
195069,847,78232.91,205,774716,87366.82.19
196072,811,64033.71,267,948865,39669.32.38
197078,205,10233.21,045,534975,76270.72.02
198078,315,37535.7859,436953,17373.11.56
199079,707,95936.6907,502923,33875.31.46
200081,797,25839.0765,246842,09378.11.39
201080,830,92443.3676,779861,87180.11.40
202083,628,70844.9775,194990,84981.01.53
203082,780,95346.3655,7441,038,63382.51.48
204080,551,73648.1649,0151,029,72883.91.51
205078,294,61347.9690,5951,114,37085.21.54
206075,604,60446.6650,7251,070,90086.41.56
207073,615,84547.2622,691939,27687.51.56
208072,112,51447.1641,217920,69688.71.58
209071,200,40546.7633,834828,45789.71.59
210070,899,86347.4609,726785,68990.81.60

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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