2019 Edition

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, 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 USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification 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

Land

348,672 sq km

Total

357,022 sq km

Water

8,350 sq km

Area Comparative

three times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Montana

Climate

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

Coastline

2,389 km

Elevation

Highest Point

Zugspitze 2,963 m

Lowest Point

Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.5 m

Mean Elevation

263 m

Environment Current Issues

emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power by 2022; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment International Agreements

Party To

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed But Not Ratified

none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

51 00 N, 9 00 E

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

Irrigated Land

6,500 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

Border Countries

Austria 801 km, Belgium 133 km, Czech Republic 704 km, Denmark 140 km, France 418 km, Luxembourg 128 km, Netherlands 575 km, Poland 467 km, Switzerland 348 km

Total

3,714 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land

48% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Arable Land

34.1% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Crops

0.6% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture

13.3% (2011 est.)

Forest

31.8% (2011 est.)

Other

20.2% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map References

Europe

Maritime Claims

Continental Shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Exclusive Economic Zone

200 nm

Territorial Sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

flooding

Natural Resources

coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Population Distribution

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

Terrain

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

Age Structure

0 14 Years

12.83% (male 5,299,798 /female 5,024,184)

15 24 Years

9.98% (male 4,092,901 /female 3,933,997)

25 54 Years

39.87% (male 16,181,931 /female 15,896,528)

55 64 Years

14.96% (male 5,989,111 /female 6,047,449)

65 Years And Over

22.36% (male 7,930,590 /female 10,061,248) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

8.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

80.3% (2011)

Current Health Expenditure

11.1% (2016)

Death Rate

11.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio

32.1 (2015 est.)

Potential Support Ratio

3.1 (2015 est.)

Total Dependency Ratio

52.1 (2015 est.)

Youth Dependency Ratio

19.9 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural

100% of population

Improved Total

100% of population

Improved Urban

100% of population

Unimproved Rural

0% of population

Unimproved Total

0% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

0% of population

Education Expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2016)

Ethnic Groups

German 87.2%, Turkish 1.8%, Polish 1%, Syrian 1%, other 9% (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.1% (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<500 (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

87,000 (2018 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

8.3 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female

3.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

3.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

German (official)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female

83.4 years

Male

78.6 years

Total Population

80.9 years (2018 est.)

Major Urban Areas Population

3.557 million BERLIN (capital), 1.791 million Hamburg, 1.521 million Munich, 1.108 million Cologne (2019)

Maternal Mortality Rate

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female

48.5 years

Male

46.2 years

Total

47.4 years (2018 est.)

Mother's Mean Age at First Birth

29.4 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

Adjective

German

Noun

German(s)

Net Migration Rate

1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

22.3% (2016)

Physicians Density

4.21 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

80,457,737 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-0.17% (2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 27.7%, Protestant 25.5%, Muslim 5.1%, Orthodox 1.9%, other Christian 1.1%, other .9%, none 37.8% (2018 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural

99% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Total

99.2% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Urban

99.3% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Rural

1% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Total

0.8% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

0.7% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female

17 years (2016)

Male

17 years

Total

17 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years

1.05 male(s)/female

15 24 Years

1.04 male(s)/female

25 54 Years

1.02 male(s)/female

55 64 Years

0.99 male(s)/female

65 Years And Over

0.79 male(s)/female

At Birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Total Population

0.96 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.46 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female

5.8% (2017 est.)

Male

7.6%

Total

6.8%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization

0.27% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Urban Population

77.4% of total population (2019)

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)

Capital

Daylight Saving Time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Geographic Coordinates

52 31 N, 13 24 E

Name

Berlin

Time Difference

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

Citizenship

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

Constitution

Amendments

proposed by Parliament; passage and enactment into law require two-thirds majority vote by both the Bundesrat (upper house) and the Bundestag (lower house) of Parliament; articles including those on basic human rights and freedoms cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2017 (2018)

History

previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10-23 August 1948, approved 12 May 1949, promulgated 23 May 1949, entered into force 24 May 1949

Country Name

Conventional Long Form

Federal Republic of Germany

Conventional Short Form

Germany

Etymology

the Gauls (Celts) of Western Europe may have referred to the newly arriving Germanic tribes who settled in neighboring areas east of the Rhine during the first centuries B.C. as "Germani," a term the Romans adopted as "Germania"; the native designation "Deutsch" comes from the Old High German "diutisc" meaning "of the people"

Former

German Reich

Local Long Form

Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Local Short Form

Deutschland

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Richard GRENELL (since 8 May 2018)

Consulate's General

Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich

Embassy

Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin

Fax

[49] (30) 8305-1215

Mailing Address

Clayallee 170, 14191 Berlin

Telephone

[49] (30) 8305-0

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery

4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Emily Margarethe HABER (since 22 June 2018)

Consulate's General

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Fax

[1] (202) 298-4249

Telephone

[1] (202) 298-4000

Executive Branch

Cabinet

Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) recommended by the chancellor, appointed by the president

Chief Of State

President Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (since 19 March 2017)

Election Results

Frank-Walter STEINMEIER elected president; Federal Convention vote count - Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (SPD) 931, Christopher BUTTERWEGGE (The Left) 128, Albrecht GLASER (Alternative for Germany AfD) 42, Alexander HOLD (BVB/FW) 25, Engelbert SONNEBORN (Pirates) 10; Angela MERKEL (CDU) reelected chancellor; Federal Parliament vote - 364 to 315

Elections Appointments

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); election last held on 12 February 2017 (next to be held in February 2022); following the most recent Federal Parliament election, the party or coalition with the most representatives usually elects the chancellor (Angela Merkel since 2005) and appointed by the president to serve a renewable 4-year term; Federal Parliament vote for chancellor last held on 14 March 2018 (next to be held after the Bundestag elections in 2021)

Head Of Government

Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)

Flag Description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold; these colors have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field

Government Type

federal parliamentary republic

Independence

18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor)

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts

Federal Court of Justice (court consists of 127 judges, including the court president, vice presidents, presiding judges, other judges and organized into 25 Senates subdivided into 12 civil panels, 5 criminal panels, and 8 special panels); Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (consists of 2 Senates each subdivided into 3 chambers, each with a chairman and 8 members)

Judge Selection And Term Of Office

Federal Court of Justice judges selected by the Judges Election Committee, which consists of the Secretaries of Justice from each of the 16 federated states and 16 members appointed by the Federal Parliament; judges appointed by the president; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Federal Constitutional Court judges - one-half elected by the House of Representatives and one-half by the Senate; judges appointed for 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 68

Subordinate Courts

Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 federated states or Land has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, finance, labor, social) courts

Legal System

civil law system

Legislative Branch

Description

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of: Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 seats; members appointed by each of the 16 state governments) Federal Diet or Bundestag (709 seats - total seats can vary each electoral term; approximately one-half of members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and approximately one-half directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

Election Results

Bundesrat - composition - men 50, women 19, percent of women 27.5% Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 33%, SPD 20.5%, AfD 12.6%, FDP 10.7%, The Left 9.2%, Alliance '90/Greens 8.9%, other 5%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 246, SPD 152, AfD 91, FDP 80, The Left 69, Alliance '90/Greens 67; composition - men 490, women 219, percent of women 30.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 30.5%

Elections

Bundesrat - none; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election Bundestag - last held on 24 September 2017 (next to be held in 2021); most postwar German governments have been coalitions

National Anthem

Lyrics Music

August Heinrich HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN/Franz Joseph HAYDN

Name

"Das Lied der Deutschen" (Song of the Germans)

National Holiday

German Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

National Symbol S

eagle; national colors: black, red, yellow

Political Parties And Leaders

Alliance '90/Greens [Annalena BAERBOCK and Robert HABECK] Alternative for Germany or AfD [Alexander GAULAND and Joerg MEUTHEN] Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Annegret KRAMP-KARRENBAUER] Christian Social Union or CSU [Markus SOEDER] Free Democratic Party or FDP [Christian LINDNER] The Left or Die Linke [Katja KIPPING and Bernd RIEXINGER] Social Democratic Party or SPD [Andrea NAHLES]

Suffrage

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

Agriculture Products

potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; milk products; cattle, pigs, poultry

Budget

Expenditures

1.619 trillion (2017 est.)

Revenues

1.665 trillion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2010

0%

31 December 2017

0%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016

1.78%

31 December 2017

1.67%

Current Account Balance

2016

$297.5 billion

2017

$291 billion

Debt External

31 March 2015

$5.21 trillion

31 March 2016

$5.326 trillion

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

1994

30

2006

27

Economy Overview

The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment. Germany benefits from a highly skilled labor force, but, like its Western European neighbors, faces significant demographic challenges to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and a large increase in net immigration are increasing pressure on the country's social welfare system and necessitate structural reforms.Reforms launched by the government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (1998-2005), deemed necessary to address chronically high unemployment and low average growth, contributed to strong economic growth and falling unemployment. These advances, as well as a government subsidized, reduced working hour scheme, help explain the relatively modest increase in unemployment during the 2008-09 recession - the deepest since World War II. The German Government introduced a minimum wage in 2015 that increased to $9.79 (8.84 euros) in January 2017.Stimulus and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela MERKEL's second term increased Germany's total budget deficit - including federal, state, and municipal - to 4.1% in 2010, but slower spending and higher tax revenues reduced the deficit to 0.8% in 2011 and in 2017 Germany reached a budget surplus of 0.7%. A constitutional amendment approved in 2009 limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016, though the target was already reached in 2012.Following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Chancellor Angela MERKEL announced in May 2011 that eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors would be shut down immediately and the remaining plants would close by 2022. Germany plans to replace nuclear power largely with renewable energy, which accounted for 29.5% of gross electricity consumption in 2016, up from 9% in 2000. Before the shutdown of the eight reactors, Germany relied on nuclear power for 23% of its electricity generating capacity and 46% of its base-load electricity production.The German economy suffers from low levels of investment, and a government plan to invest 15 billion euros during 2016-18, largely in infrastructure, is intended to spur needed private investment. Domestic consumption, investment, and exports are likely to drive German GDP growth in 2018, and the country’s budget and trade surpluses are likely to remain high.

Exchange Rates

2013

0.7634

2014

0.885

2015

0.9214

2016

0.903

2017

0.885

Currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exports

2016

$1.322 trillion

2017

$1.434 trillion

Exports Commodities

motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products

Exports Partners

US 8.8%, France 8.2%, China 6.8%, Netherlands 6.7%, UK 6.6%, Italy 5.1%, Austria 4.9%, Poland 4.7%, Switzerland 4.2% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services

47.3% (2017 est.)

Government Consumption

19.5% (2017 est.)

Household Consumption

53.1% (2017 est.)

Imports Of Goods And Services

-39.7% (2017 est.)

Investment In Fixed Capital

20.4% (2017 est.)

Investment In Inventories

-0.5% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture

0.7% (2017 est.)

Industry

30.7% (2017 est.)

Services

68.6% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$3.701 trillion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015

$49,100

2016

$49,800

2017

$50,800

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015

$4.012 trillion

2016

$4.099 trillion

2017

$4.199 trillion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015

1.5%

2016

2.2%

2017

2.5%

Gross National Saving

2015

28.1% of GDP

2016

28.2% of GDP

2017

28% of GDP

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

Highest 10

24% (2000)

Lowest 10

3.6%

Imports

2016

$1.022 trillion

2017

$1.135 trillion

Imports Commodities

machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products

Imports Partners

Netherlands 13.8%, China 7%, France 6.6%, Belgium 5.9%, Italy 5.4%, Poland 5.4%, Czechia 4.8%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

3.3% (2017 est.)

Industries

among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016

0.4%

2017

1.7%

Labor Force

45.9 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture

1.4%

Industry

24.2%

Services

74.3% (2016)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

31 December 2013

$1.936 trillion

31 December 2014

$1.739 trillion

31 December 2015

$1.716 trillion

Population Below Poverty Line

16.7% (2015 est.)

Public Debt

2016

67.9% of GDP

2017

63.9% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2015

$173.7 billion

31 December 2017

$200.1 billion

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016

$2.016 trillion

31 December 2017

$2.453 trillion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

31 December 2016

$1.981 trillion

31 December 2017

$2.298 trillion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

31 December 2016

$1.391 trillion

31 December 2017

$1.653 trillion

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016

$4.433 trillion

31 December 2017

$5.033 trillion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016

$2.016 trillion

31 December 2017

$2.453 trillion

Taxes And Other Revenues

45% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016

4.2%

2017

3.8%

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

847.6 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

6,569 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

1.836 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Production

41,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

129.6 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

536.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

78.86 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

41% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

52% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

28.34 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

208.5 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

612.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

93.36 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

34.61 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

119.5 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

7.9 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

39.5 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

2.46 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

494,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

883,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

2.158 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

41 (2017 est.)

Total

33.217 million

Broadcast Media

a mixture of publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; 70 national and regional public broadcasters compete with nearly 400 privately owned national and regional TV stations; more than 90% of households have cable or satellite TV; hundreds of radio stations including multiple national radio networks, regional radio networks, and a large number of local radio stations

Internet Country Code

.de

Internet Users

Percent Of Population

89.6% (July 2016 est.)

Total

72,365,643

Telephone System

Domestic

extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries; 55 per 100 for fixed-line and 132 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2018)

General Assessment

one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part; universal 3G available infrastructure and LTE networks; penetration in broadband and mobile sectors average for region (2018)

International

country code - 49; landing points for SeaMeWe-3, TAT-14, AC-1, CONTACT-3, Fehmarn Balt, C-Lion1, GC1, GlobalConnect-KPN, and Germany-Denmark 2 & 3 - submarine cables to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia; as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2019)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

55 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

44.4 million

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

132 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

106 million

Airports

539 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

60 (2017)

2 438 To 3 047 M

49 (2017)

914 To 1 523 M

70 (2017)

Over 3 047 M

14 (2017)

Total

318 (2017)

Under 914 M

125 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

1 (2013)

914 To 1 523 M

35 (2013)

Total

221 (2013)

Under 914 M

185 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

D (2016)

Heliports

23 (2013)

Merchant Marine

By Type

bulk carrier 1, container ship 107, general cargo 92, oil tanker 36, other 393 (2018)

Total

629

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

6,985,007,915 mt-km (2015)

Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

115,540,886 (2015)

Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers

1,113 (2015)

Number Of Registered Air Carriers

20 (2015)

Pipelines

37 km condensate, 26985 km gas, 2400 km oil, 4479 km refined products, 8 km water (2013)

Ports And Terminals

Container Port's Teus

Bremen/Bremerhaven (5,510,000), Hamburg (8,860,000) (2017)

Lng Terminal's Import

Hamburg

Major Seaport S

Baltic Sea - Rostock

Oil Terminal S

Brunsbuttel Canal terminals

River Port S

Bremen (Weser)

Railways

Narrow Gauge

220 km 1.000-m gauge (79 km electrified)

Standard Gauge

33,331 km 1.435-m gauge (19,973 km electrified) (2015)

Total

33,590 km (2017)

Roadways

Paved

625,000 km (includes 12,996 km of expressways) (2017)

Total

625,000 km (2017)

Waterways

7,467 km (Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea) (2012)

Military And Security Forces

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), includes air defense), Joint Support Service (Streitkraeftebasis, SKB), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst, ZSanDstBw), Cyber and Information Space Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum, Kdo CIR) (2019)

Military Expenditures

2015

1.18% of GDP

2016

1.19% of GDP

2017

1.23% of GDP

2018

1.24% of GDP

2019

1.38% of GDP

Military Service Age And Obligation

17-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription ended 1 July 2011; service obligation 8-23 months or 12 years; women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 (2013)

Disputes International

none

Illicit Drugs

source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

Refugees Country Of Origin

532,065 (Syria), 136,463 (Iraq), 126,018 (Afghanistan), 55,334 (Eritrea), 41,150 (Iran), 24,036 (Turkey), 23,581 (Somalia), 9,155 (Serbia and Kosovo), 8,119 (Russia), 7,454 (Pakistan), 6,453 (Nigeria) (2018)

Stateless Persons

14,779 (2018)