Demographics
In 2021, Germany had an estimated population of 83.3 million people, however population growth is very low. The largest city is Berlin, with 3.6 million people, followed by Hamburg and Munich, with 1.8 and 1.5 million inhabitants respectively; however, the largest metropolitan region is the Rhine-Ruhr area, with a population of almost 11 million people across several cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Dortmund. Since 1972, Germany’s crude death rate has consistently been higher than its crude birth rate, meaning that Germany has been experiencing a natural population decline for five decades. Because of these factors, population growth in Germany has largely been dependent migration, and in 2020, it is estimated that almost 13 percent of the population is foreign. Since the 1960s, Germany has had sizeable migrant populations, particularly through waves of Gastarbeiter (guest workers) who came from Southern Europe and Turkey in the 1960s, before waves of Eastern Europeans arrived after the collapse of communism, followed by Middle Eastern refugees in the past two decades. Of Germany’s 11.4 million foreigners, almost 70 percent are from Europe, over 20 percent are Asian, and five percent are from Africa. Turkey is the most common country of origin for foreigners, with almost 1.5 million Turks living in Germany (although there may be somewhere between four and seven million with Turkish heritage), followed by Poland and Syria, each with over 800,000 migrants.Economics
In 2020, Germany had a nominal GDP of 3.3 trillion euros (3.8 trillion U.S. dollars), making it the fourth largest economy in the world. With a GDP per capita over 46,000 U.S. dollars it is in the top 10 percent of countries. Germany is a net exporter of goods, with a trade balance of 209 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. It is the third largest exporter in the world (behind the U.S. and China), specializing in technologically advanced goods, particularly automobiles and machinery, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. It’s largest trading partner is the wider EU trading bloc, although the U.S. receives more German exports than any other individual country. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Germany’s national debt rose above 70 percent of GDP, and it is estimated that it will take until 2025 for the economy to recover.Politics
Germany is a federal republic with a parliamentary system. Ultimate legislative power is held by the Bundestag (parliament), while the Bundesrat represents Germany’s 16 federal states on a national level. The country is led by the Chancellor, who is chosen by the party or coalition with the most seats in the Bundestag. The Chancellor is the head of government, while the President acts as the head of state in a more ceremonial capacity. Following the 2021 election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the largest share of votes, and lead the so-called traffic light coalition, along with the Green Party and Free Democratic Party (FDP). This is the first time since 2005 where the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the most dominant party in German politics since the Second World War, were not in charge. The SDP’s coalition with the Green Party may result in more stringent climate initiatives, while the FDP may demand more liberal economic policies; after more than 16 years of Angela Merkel’s leadership, it remains to be seen how Germany’s position in the world will change or develop under the (likely) leadership of Olaf Scholz.
