Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in Brandenburg, Germany. Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt had 95,123 residents on 1 January 2025, 3.7% of Brandenburg and 0.11% of Germany; 323rd largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 41,800 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 109% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 135th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2024, the city of Cottbus had 22.1 doctors per 10,000 residents, compared with 13.1 in the median German district, which ranks it 35th highest of 400 districts. It was 23.2 in 2019.
• Education in Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Cottbus recorded a share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) of 7.2%, compared with 7.0% in the median German district, which ranks it 192nd highest of 400 districts. In 2019 the figure was 6.9%.
• Poverty and living standards in Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: The share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Cottbus was 14.1% in 2023, 24th highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 6.5%. That is down from 14.7% in 2019.
• Government budget and revenue in Cottbus, Kreisfreie Stadt: The tax revenue of its municipalities per resident in the city of Cottbus was €1,240 in 2023, 112th lowest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at €1,446. It was €891 in 2019.

Figures 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 Brandenburg

• Potsdam-Mittelmark 221,268
• Oberhavel 217,690
• Märkisch-Oderland 197,817
• Barnim 194,169
• Potsdam, Kreisfreie Stadt 184,754
• Oder-Spree 179,817
• Dahme-Spreewald 178,793
• Teltow-Fläming 177,688
• Havelland 170,834
• Uckermark 117,432
• Spree-Neiße 109,635
• Oberspreewald-Lausitz 107,793
• Ostprignitz-Ruppin 99,152
• Elbe-Elster 97,967
• Prignitz 75,595
• Brandenburg an der Havel, Kreisfreie Stadt 74,113
• Frankfurt (Oder), Kreisfreie Stadt 57,107

Up a level: Brandenburg · 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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