Last reviewed on October 4, 2026.
How Many States Does Germany Have?
Germany has 16 federal states, called Länder (singular Land) or, informally, Bundesländer. Thirteen are area states (Flächenländer) and three are city-states — Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen — where a city is also a state. Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia call themselves Free States (Freistaat), an old word for republic that carries no special legal status.
Each state has its own constitution, parliament, government and police, and is responsible for schools, universities, culture and most administration. The states take part in federal law-making through the Bundesrat, where each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population.
All 16 German States: Capitals, Population and Area
| State | German name | Capital | Population | Area (km²) | People / km² | Code | Bundesrat votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Baden-Württemberg | Stuttgart | 11,238,761 | 35,748 | 314 | BW | 6 |
| Bavaria | Freistaat Bayern | Munich | 13,245,503 | 70,541 | 188 | BY | 6 |
| Berlin | Berlin | Berlin | 3,700,577 | 891 | 4,153 | BE | 4 |
| Brandenburg | Brandenburg | Potsdam | 2,551,889 | 29,654 | 86 | BB | 4 |
| Bremen | Freie Hansestadt Bremen | Bremen | 706,915 | 419 | 1,687 | HB | 3 |
| Hamburg | Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg | Hamburg | 1,869,473 | 755 | 2,476 | HH | 3 |
| Hesse | Hessen | Wiesbaden | 6,278,594 | 21,116 | 297 | HE | 5 |
| Lower Saxony | Niedersachsen | Hanover (Hannover) | 8,000,826 | 47,710 | 168 | NI | 6 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Schwerin | 1,573,685 | 23,295 | 68 | MV | 3 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) | Düsseldorf | 17,986,214 | 34,112 | 527 | NW | 6 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Rheinland-Pfalz | Mainz | 4,123,022 | 19,858 | 208 | RP | 4 |
| Saarland | Saarland | Saarbrücken | 1,007,342 | 2,572 | 392 | SL | 3 |
| Saxony | Freistaat Sachsen | Dresden | 4,026,599 | 18,450 | 218 | SN | 4 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Sachsen-Anhalt | Magdeburg | 2,120,252 | 20,464 | 104 | ST | 4 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Schleswig-Holstein | Kiel | 2,958,519 | 15,804 | 187 | SH | 4 |
| Thuringia | Freistaat Thüringen | Erfurt | 2,078,946 | 16,202 | 128 | TH | 4 |
| Germany | Deutschland | Berlin | 83,467,117 | 357,591 | 233 | DE | 69 |
In everyday German you will also see informal abbreviations such as NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), BaWü (Baden-Württemberg), M-V or Meck-Pomm (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and RLP (Rhineland-Palatinate).
Largest and Smallest States
- Largest by area: Bavaria (70,541 km²), followed by Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg.
- Smallest by area: Bremen (419 km²); the smallest area state is Saarland (2,572 km²).
- Most populous: North Rhine-Westphalia (about 18.0 million), then Bavaria (13.2 million) and Baden-Württemberg (11.2 million).
- Least populous: Bremen (about 707,000); among the area states, Saarland (about 1.0 million).
- Most densely populated: Berlin (about 4,150 people per km²); least: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (about 68 per km²).
Ranked by area
1. Bavaria, 2. Lower Saxony, 3. Baden-Württemberg, 4. North Rhine-Westphalia, 5. Brandenburg, 6. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 7. Hesse, 8. Saxony-Anhalt, 9. Rhineland-Palatinate, 10. Saxony, 11. Thuringia, 12. Schleswig-Holstein, 13. Saarland, 14. Berlin, 15. Hamburg, 16. Bremen.
Ranked by population
1. North Rhine-Westphalia, 2. Bavaria, 3. Baden-Württemberg, 4. Lower Saxony, 5. Hesse, 6. Rhineland-Palatinate, 7. Saxony, 8. Berlin, 9. Schleswig-Holstein, 10. Brandenburg, 11. Saxony-Anhalt, 12. Thuringia, 13. Hamburg, 14. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 15. Saarland, 16. Bremen.
The States by Region
Germany has no official regions above the states, but travellers and statistics commonly group them like this:
- North: Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- West: North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
- South: Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg
- East: Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia (plus Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
The five states re-created in 1990 from the former GDR are explained in our guide to the East German states. For states that existed in the past — Prussia, Baden, Württemberg, Oldenburg and others — see former German states.
When Did the States Come Into Being?
Most of today's states were drawn up by the Allied occupation powers in 1945–47. Ten western states and West Berlin formed the Federal Republic in 1949; three of them merged into Baden-Württemberg in 1952; Saarland joined on 1 January 1957. The five eastern states, abolished by the GDR in 1952, were re-established and joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, when East and West Berlin were also reunited as one state.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many states are there in Germany?
Sixteen: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
Is NRW a state, a province or a country?
NRW (Nordrhein-Westfalen, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a federal state of Germany. Germany's states are not provinces: they have their own constitutions and governments.
What are the capitals of the German states?
Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin, Potsdam, Bremen, Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Hanover, Schwerin, Düsseldorf, Mainz, Saarbrücken, Dresden, Magdeburg, Kiel and Erfurt. In several states the capital is not the largest city — for example Wiesbaden (Frankfurt is larger), Düsseldorf (Cologne), Schwerin (Rostock) and Dresden (Leipzig).
What is the difference between Land and Bundesland?
None in practice. The Basic Law uses Land; Bundesland ("federal state") is the everyday term.