Press release No. 485 of 14 October 2021

• All time low of arrivals from within Germany and from abroad
• Highest population loss for cities not attached to an administrative district caused by change of residence within Germany since 2011
• Fewer arrivals of young adults

WIESBADEN – At the end of 2020, just under 24.5 million people were living in cities not attached to an administrative district with 100,000 or more inhabitants. They represented about 29.4% of the total population. At the end of 2011 the proportion was 28.7%. Although the population in cities not attached to an administrative district grew an average 0.7% per year since 2011, that trend did not continue in 2020.  The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the number of people living in cities even decreased slightly (-0.1%) on the previous year.

Migration flows, which are a major factor of population development, show notable changes in 2020. Decreases were observed both for changes of residence within Germany (internal migration) and for arrivals from and departures to other countries (external migration) (see press release no. 306 of 29 June 2021).

Less immigration from abroad

The population growth in cities not attached to an administrative district that was observed since 2011 was obviously due to immigration from other countries. In 2020, the number of arrivals from abroad was roughly 452,000 and the number of departures to other countries was 361,000. In the previous year, cities not attached to an administrative district saw 620,000 arrivals and 472,000 departures. Net immigration from abroad thus fell from 148,000 in 2019 to roughly 91,000 in 2020. On a federal average, too, net immigration decreased markedly (-33%) due to the coronavirus pandemic – but in cities not attached to an administrative district, the decline was larger (-38%).

Fewer people moving within Germany to cities not attached to an administrative district

As regards internal migration, roughly 855,000 arrivals and 965,000 departures were recorded for the population in cities not attached to an administrative district in the corona year of 2020. In the previous year, the figures were 933,000 arrivals and 993,000 departures. This means that in 2020 about 5% fewer arrivals and departures than in the previous year occurred in the whole of Germany. The decrease of arrivals in cities not attached to an administrative district was above average (-8.4%), while the decline of departures was below average (-2.9%). Overall, cities not attached to an administrative district saw a migration deficit of roughly 110,000 people, which was the largest population loss due to changes of residence since 2011.

Fewer young adults moving to cities not attached to an administrative district

The change in migration to cities not attached to an administrative district from abroad and from within Germany is particularly marked in specific age groups. The low net external migration in the corona year of 2020 is due to a lower number of arrivals from abroad in the age group of people aged 18 to 35. Within Germany, a decrease was observed in 2020 especially for arrivals in cities of those aged 18 to 22, that is, of young adults at the typical age of starting an apprenticeship or studies.

When it comes to the question whether 2020 was an exception and the cities not attached to an administrative district will grow again in the future, demographic aspects must also be taken into account. Especially young people aged 18 to just under 30 are moving to cities not attached to an administrative district. However, this group is getting smaller due to demographic change. In 2020, the number of young people aged between 18 and 29 declined by 261,000 (-2.3%), while the population as a whole was nearly unchanged. Against the background of demographic change, above all the question of how migration from abroad will develop in the coming years can be expected to be decisive regarding population growth in cities not attached to an administrative district.

Methodological notes:

As a result of the 2011 Census, the data on external and internal migration from 2012 onwards are comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent. For this reason the present analysis was restricted to the period from the end of 2011.

In accordance with the definition of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), cities not attached to an administrative district are towns not attached to an administrative district with at least 100,000 inhabitants. Cities which belong to a rural district or a regional association (e.g. Hanover) were not included in the analysis. For more information please go to the BBSR website. However, the assignment of urban and rural districts to the BBSR district types in terms of settlement structure is not constant over time. The population in cities not attached to an administrative district can vary due to natural population change and migration flows, and districts can become cities not attached to an administrative district. For better comparability, the 2019 allocation was maintained for 2020.