Population of East and West Germany 1950-2016| ��ƽ��

Population in the former territories of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic from 1950 to 2016

Characteristic	East Germany	West Germany
2016	16,156	66,365
2015	16,118	66,057
2014	15,974	65,223
2013	15,919	64,848
2012	15,905	64,619
2011	15,899	64,429
2010	16,326	65,426
2009	16,380	65,422
2008	16,461	65,541
2007	16,554	65,664
2006	16,648	65,667
2005	16,740	65,698
2004	16,821	65,680
2003	16,913	65,619
2002	17,009	65,527
2001*	17,118	65,323
2000	15,120	67,140
1999	15,217	66,946
1998	15,290	66,747
1997	15,369	66,688
1996	15,429	66,583
1995	15,476	66,342
1994	15,531	66,007
1993	15,598	65,740
1992	15,685	65,289
1991	15,790	64,485
1990	16,028	63,726
1989	16,434	62,679
1988	16,675	61,715
1987	16,661	61,238
1986	16,640	61,140
1985	16,640	61,020
1984	16,660	61,049
1983	16,701	61,307
1982	16,702	61,546
1981	16,706	61,713
1980	16,740	61,658
1979	16,740	61,439
1978	16,751	61,322
1977	16,758	61,353
1976	16,767	61,442
1975	16,820	61,645
1974	16,891	61,991
1973	16,951	62,101
1972	17,011	61,809
1971	17,054	61,503
1970	17,068	61,001
1969	17,075	61,195
1968	17,087	60,463
1967	17,090	59,948
1966	17,071	59,793
1965	17,040	59,297
1964	17,004	58,587
1963	17,181	57,865
1962	17,136	57,247
1961	17,079	56,589
1960	17,188	55,958
1959	17,286	55,257
1958	17,312	54,719
1957	17,411	54,064
1956	17,604	53,340
1955	17,832	53,518
1954	18,002	52,943
1953	18,112	52,454
1952	18,300	51,864
1951	18,350	51,435
1950	18,388	50,958

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Release date

June 2017

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Region

Germany

Survey time period

1950 to 2016

Supplementary notes

* Population of West Berlin included with West Germany until 2000, and with East Germany from 2001 onwards.

Citation formats

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Germany was split into four zones, each administered by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union respectively. In 1949, the Soviet-controlled zone formed the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), while the rest became the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In this time, Berlin was also split into four zones, and the three non-Soviet zones formed West Berlin, which was a part of West Germany (although the West's administrative capital was moved to Bonn).

One population grows, while the other declines

Between 1949 and 1961, an estimated 2.7 million people migrated from East to West Germany. East Germany had a communist government with a socialist economy and was a satellite state of the Soviet Union, whereas West Germany was a liberal democracy with a capitalist economy, and western autonomy increased over time. Because of this difference, West Germany was a much freer society with more economic opportunities. During the German partition, the population of the west grew, from 51 million in 1950 to 62.7 million in 1989, whereas the population of East Germany declined from 18.4 million to just 16.4 million during this time.

Little change after reunification

In 1989, after four decades of separation, the process of German reunification began. The legal and physical barriers that had split the country were removed, and Germans could freely travel within the entire country. Despite this development, population growth patterns did not change. The population of the 'new states' (East Germany) continued to decline, whereas the population of the west grew, particularly in the 1990s, the first decade after reunification. The reasons for this continued imbalance between German population in the east and west, is mostly due to a low birth rate and internal migration within Germany. Despite the fact that levels of income and unemployment in the new states have gotten closer to those reported for the west (a major obstacle after reunification), life and opportunities in the west continue to attract young Germans from rural areas in the east with detrimental effect on the economy and demography of the new states.