Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany
Germany: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 5.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany stood at 5.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany peaked at 6.3% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1980.
Germany ranks 176th of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.3% | — |
| 1955 | 6.0% | -4.3% |
| 1960 | 5.9% | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 5.7% | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 5.6% | -1.7% |
| 1975 | 5.4% | -4.3% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 5.8% | +9.5% |
| 1995 | 5.8% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 5.6% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +2.7% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 5.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 20% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Germany's 5.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.1%, 24% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.2% | 6.0% | 6.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More population data for Germany
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1409 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.8968 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.11 million people (2100)
- Population density 202.93 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3367 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1335 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Germany was 5.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1980.
- How does Germany rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Germany ranks 176th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.