Background: As Europe's largest economy and second most-populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating world wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key western economic and security organizations, including the EC (now the EU) and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War allowed German reunification to occur in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Area
Total: 357,022 km²
Land: 348,672 km²
Water: 8,350 km²
Comparative: three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 3,694 km
Border countries (9): (9) Austria 801 km; Belgium 133 km; Czechia 704 km; Denmark 140 km; France 418 km; Luxembourg 128 km; Netherlands 575 km; Poland 447 km; Switzerland 348 km

Coastline: 2,389 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Elevation
Highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m
Lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m
Mean elevation: 263 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 47.5% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 33.4% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 13.5% (2023 est.)
Forest: 32.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 15% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 5,065 km² (2020)

Major rivers: Donau (Danube) river source (shared with Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km; Elbe river mouth (shared with Czechia [s]) - 1,252 km; Rhein (Rhine) (shared with Switzerland [s], France, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: flooding

Geography
Note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea; most major rivers in Germany -- the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe -- flow northward; the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward

Population
Total: 84,119,100 (2024 est.)
Male: 41,572,702
Female: 42,546,398
Distribution: 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
Growth rate: -0.12% (2024 est.)

Languages: 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
Major-language sample(s): ; Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Roman Catholic 24.8%, Protestant 22.6%, Muslim 3.7%, other 5.1%, none 43.8% (2022 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 5,925,800/female 5,688,603)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 26,705,657/female 25,875,865)
65 years and over: 23.7% (2024 est.) (male 8,941,245/female 10,981,930)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 60 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 22.1 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 37.9 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 2.6 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 46.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 45.5 years
Female: 48.3 years

Population growth rate: -0.12% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 8.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 3.574 million BERLIN (capital), 1.788 million Hamburg, 1.576 million Munich, 1.144 million Cologne, 796,000 Frankfurt (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 79.6 years
Female: 84.4 years

Total fertility rate: 1.58 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.6% (2016 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.5% (2024 est.); 3.1% (2023 est.); 3.2% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
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 Slavic (Polabian) word berl or birl, meaning 'swamp' and referring to the original settlement site by the Spree River

Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen (Hesse), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia)
Note: Bayern, Sachsen, and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat), while Bremen calls itself a Free Hanseatic City (Freie Hansestadt) and Hamburg considers itself a Free and Hanseatic City (Freie und Hansestadt)

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (since 19 March 2017)
Head of government: Chancellor Friedrich MERZ (since 6 May 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) recommended by the chancellor, appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by a Federal Convention consisting of all members of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and an equivalent number of delegates indirectly elected by the state parliaments; president serves a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); following the most recent Federal Parliament election, the party or coalition with the most representatives usually elects the chancellor, who is appointed by the president to serve a renewable 4-year term
Most recent election date: president: 13 February 2022
Chancellor: 6 May 2025
2025: Friedrich MERZ (CDU) elected chancellor in second round; Federal Parliament vote - 325 to 289
2022: Frank-Walter STEINMEIER reelected president; Federal Convention vote count - Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (SPD) 1,045, Max OTTE (CDU) 140, Gerhard TRABERT (The Left) 96, Stefanie GEBAUER (Free Voters) 58, abstentions 86
Expected date of next election: president: February 2,027

Legislative branch
Legislative structure: bicameral
Note: due to Germany's recognition of the concepts of 'overhang' (when a party's share of the nationwide votes would entitle it to fewer seats than the number of individual constituency seats won in an election under Germany's mixed member proportional system) and 'leveling' (whereby additional seats are elected to supplement the members directly elected by each constituency in order to ensure that each party's share of the total seats is roughly proportional to the party's overall shares of votes at the national level), the 20th Bundestag is the largest to date

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold

National anthem
Title: “Lied der Deutschen”(Song of the Germans)
Lyrics/music: August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN/Franz Joseph HAYDN
History: first adopted 1922; the anthem, also known as 'Deutschlandlied' (Song of Germany), was originally adopted for its connection to the March 1848 liberal revolution; the Nazis later appropriated the first verse -- specifically the phrase 'Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles' (Germany, Germany above all) -- to promote nationalism, and the anthem was banned after 1945; in 1952, West Germany adopted the third verse as its national anthem; in 1990, it became the national anthem for the reunited Germany

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 56 (54 cultural, 2 natural)
Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin (c); Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (c); Speyer Cathedral (c); Aachen Cathedral (c); Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau, and Bernau (c); Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura (c); Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter, and Church of Our Lady in Trier (c); Hanseatic City of Lübeck (c); Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof (c); Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square (c); Pilgrimage Church of Wies (c); Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl (c); St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim (c); Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch (c); Maulbronn Monastery Complex (c); Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg (c); Cologne Cathedral (c); Castle Church in Wittenberg (c); Classical Weimar (c); Wartburg Castle (c); Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (c); Monastic Island of Reichenau (c); Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (c); Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (c); Moravian Church Settlements (c); Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus (c); The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (c); Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke (c); Naumburg Cathedral (c); Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt (c); ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz (c); The Great Spa Towns of Europe (c); Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt (c); Schwerin Residence Ensemble (c); The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee (c); The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee (c)

Real gdp growth rate: -0.2% (2024 est.); -0.3% (2023 est.); 1.4% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: -0.2% (2024 est.); -0.3% (2023 est.); 1.4% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 49.9% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 21.2% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.5% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 43.4% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -39.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.8% (2024 est.)
Industry: 25.8% (2024 est.)
Services: 63.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: -3% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 43.772 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (2024 est.); 3.1% (2023 est.); 3.2% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 3.5% (2024 est.); 3.1% (2023 est.); 3.2% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $1.279 trillion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $1.369 trillion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 11% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $1.949 trillion (2024 est.); $1.958 trillion (2023 est.); $1.917 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, vehicle parts/accessories, packaged medicine, plastic products, vaccines (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $1.774 trillion (2024 est.); $1.781 trillion (2023 est.); $1.808 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, vehicle parts/accessories, garments, natural gas, vaccines (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 275.658 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 519.691 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 60.316 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 69.353 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 25.774 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 49% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 11.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 25.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 109.741 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 140.994 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 1.68 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 32.933 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 35.4 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 131,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 2.062 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 115.2 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 4.337 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 82.371 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 74.989 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 23.39 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 600.192 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 163.407 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 277.688 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 159.097 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 120.457 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 38.8 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 105 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 94% (2024 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 38.4 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.6% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 840 (2025)

Heliports: 449 (2025)

Railways
Total: 39,379 km (2020) 20,942 km electrified; 15 km 0.900-mm gauge, 24 km 0.750-mm gauge (2015)

Merchant marine
Total: 595 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 69, general cargo 82, oil tanker 32, other 411