Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: population, economy and official figures
Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis is a district (Kreis) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis had 309,050 residents on 1 January 2025, 2.7% of Baden-Württemberg and 0.37% of Germany; 57th largest of 400 districts in Germany.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: GDP per person was 74,200 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 193% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 21st highest of 400 districts in Germany.
- Health in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: In 2024, the city of Karlsruhe had 18.5 doctors per 10,000 residents, compared with 13.1 in the median German district, which ranks it 64th highest of 400 districts. It was 17.9 in 2019.
- Education in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: At 6.4% in 2023, the share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) in the city of Karlsruhe ranked 155th lowest of 400 German districts (district median 7.0%). In 2019 the figure was 5.9%.
- Poverty and living standards in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: The share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Karlsruhe was 6.2% in 2023, 174th lowest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 6.5%. It was 5.8% in 2019.
- Government budget and revenue in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis: At €2,431 in 2023, the tax revenue of its municipalities per resident in the city of Karlsruhe ranked 17th highest of 400 German districts (district median €1,446). It was €1,913 in 2019.
Is the population of Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis growing?
That is 3.0% more people than in 2015 (300,051).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow densely populated is Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
There were 1,826.2 people per square kilometre in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median age in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
The median age was 41.1 years in 2025, against 45.5 for Germany; 376th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow old is the population of Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
19.6% of residents were 65 or older and 12.0% were under 15 in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many births and deaths are there in Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
In 2024 there were 2,358 live births and 2,990 deaths, a natural decrease of 632.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow big is Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
It covers 173 km².
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre people moving to Karlsruhe, Stadtkreis?
The net migration rate was +4.8 per 1,000 residents in 2024, while births minus deaths gave a natural change of -2.0 per 1,000.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyFigures come from Germany's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.
Other districts in Baden-Württemberg
- Stuttgart, Stadtkreis 612,663
- Rhein-Neckar-Kreis 558,561
- Esslingen 536,601
- Ludwigsburg 535,374
- Karlsruhe, Landkreis 456,264
- Ortenaukreis 444,858
- Rems-Murr-Kreis 440,696
- Böblingen 395,167
- Heilbronn, Landkreis 353,877
- Mannheim, Stadtkreis 318,035
- Ostalbkreis 317,427
- Reutlingen 293,483
- Konstanz 291,841
- Ravensburg 291,102
- Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald 272,558
- Göppingen 258,809
- Lörrach 238,263
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Stadtkreis 237,460
- Tübingen, Landkreis 233,546
- Rastatt 230,737
- Bodenseekreis 220,804
- Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis 214,065
- Biberach 207,415
- Alb-Donau-Kreis 202,354
- Schwäbisch Hall 200,902
- Enzkreis 199,745
- Zollernalbkreis 193,326
- Waldshut 171,579
- Emmendingen 169,787
- Calw 161,251
- Heidelberg, Stadtkreis 155,756
- Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis 145,263
- Tuttlingen 145,208
- Rottweil 140,237
- Heidenheim 135,235
- Pforzheim, Stadtkreis 134,912
- Main-Tauber-Kreis 133,169
- Sigmaringen 132,167
- Heilbronn, Stadtkreis 131,986
- Ulm, Stadtkreis 129,882
- Freudenstadt 121,958
- Hohenlohekreis 115,644
- Baden-Baden, Stadtkreis 56,881
Up a level: Baden-Württemberg · all regions of Germany · how local power works in Germany
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
- Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung: INKAR – Indikatoren und Karten zur Raum- und Stadtentwicklung: 43 district (Kreise) indicators, 2012-2024 (table service extract), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c743f54caf6…)
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