Capital

Deutschland

name: Berlin

geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: the origin of the name is unclear but may be related to the old West Slavic (Polabian) word "berl" or "birl," meaning "swamp"

Citizenship

Deutschland

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a German citizen or a resident alien who has lived in Germany at least 8 years

dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permission from government

residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years

Legal system

Deutschland

civil law system

Suffrage

Deutschland

18 years of age; universal; age 16 for some state and municipal elections

Area

Deutschland

total: 357,022 sq km

land: 348,672 sq km

water: 8,350 sq km

Land use

Deutschland

agricultural land: 48% (2018 est.)

arable land: 34.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 13.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 31.8% (2018 est.)

other: 20.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Deutschland

Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Age structure

Deutschland

0-14 years: 13.75% (male 5,905,124/female 5,673,727)

15-64 years: 62.97% (male 26,934,889/female 26,097,401)

65 years and over: 23.28% (2023 est.) (male 8,784,872/female 10,824,171)

Birth rate

Deutschland

9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Deutschland

12 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Deutschland

German (official); note - Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romani are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romani are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

major-language sample(s):
Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Deutschland

total population: 81.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.4 years

female: 84.2 years

Major urban areas - population

Deutschland

3.574 million BERLIN (capital), 1.788 million Hamburg, 1.576 million Munich, 1.144 million Cologne, 796,000 Frankfurt (2023)

Median age

Deutschland

total: 46.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 45.4 years

female: 48.2 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Deutschland

29.9 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Deutschland

1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Deutschland

second most populous country in Europe; a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations, particularly in the far western part of the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Population growth rate

Deutschland

-0.12% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Deutschland

1.58 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Deutschland

urban population: 77.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Deutschland

4.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Deutschland

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Deutschland

1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Deutschland

3.61% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Deutschland

43.968 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Deutschland

14.8% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Deutschland

3.54% (2021 est.)

3.81% (2020 est.)

3.14% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Deutschland

63.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

67.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; the series are presented as a percentage of GDP and in millions of euros; GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product at current market prices; data expressed in national currency are converted into euro using end-of-year exchange rates provided by the European Central Bank

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Deutschland

3.14% (2021 est.)

0.51% (2020 est.)

1.45% (2019 est.)

Exports

Deutschland

$2.004 trillion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.676 trillion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.816 trillion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Deutschland

United States 9%, China 8%, France 8%, Netherlands 6%, Italy 6% (2021)

Imports

Deutschland

$1.775 trillion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.454 trillion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.595 trillion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Deutschland

China 10%, Netherlands 10%, Poland 7%, Italy 6%, France 6% (2021)

Airports

Deutschland

539 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Deutschland

total: 36,215,303 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Deutschland

total: 75.53 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)

Railways

Deutschland

total: 39,379 km (2020) 20,942 km electrified

15 km 0.900-mm gauge, 24 km 0.750-mm gauge (2015)

Roadways

Deutschland

total: 830,000 km (2022) 830,000 km

paved: 830,000 km (2022) (includes 13,155 km of expressways)

note: includes local roads

Telephones - fixed lines

Deutschland

total subscriptions: 38.6 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Deutschland

total subscriptions: 106.4 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Deutschland

7,300 km (2022) (Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea)

Disputes - international

Deutschland

none identified