Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany
Germany: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 73.0% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany stood at 73.0%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany peaked at 73.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 69.7%, in 1955.
That places Germany 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 69.8% | — |
| 1955 | 69.7% | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 70.3% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 71.1% | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 71.7% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 71.6% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 71.4% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 71.2% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 71.5% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 72.1% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 72.2% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 72.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 72.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 73.0% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 69.8% | 69.7% | 69.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 70.7% | 70.3% | 71.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 71.6% | 71.6% | 71.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 71.3% | 71.2% | 71.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.8% | 71.5% | 72.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 72.2% | 72.2% | 72.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.3% | 72.2% | 72.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 73.0% | 73.0% | 73.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Germany was 73.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 73.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.7% in 1955.
- How does Germany rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Germany ranks 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. 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
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.