Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in Lower Saxony, Germany. Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt had 75,745 residents on 1 January 2025, 0.9% of Lower Saxony and 0.09% of Germany; 354th largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 43,500 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 113% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 115th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: At 19.1 in 2024, the number of doctors per 10,000 residents in the city of Wilhelmshaven ranked 53rd highest of 400 German districts (district median 13.1). In 2019 the figure was 19.4.
• Education in Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: At 5.8% in 2023, the share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) in the city of Wilhelmshaven ranked 109th lowest of 400 German districts (district median 7.0%). It was 8.2% in 2019.
• Poverty and living standards in Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: At 18.5% in 2023, the share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Wilhelmshaven ranked 4th highest of 400 German districts (district median 6.5%). That is down from 18.7% in 2019.
• Government budget and revenue in Wilhelmshaven, Kreisfreie Stadt: The tax revenue of its municipalities per resident in the city of Wilhelmshaven was €1,212 in 2023, 99th lowest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at €1,446. In 2019 the figure was €1,118.

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 Lower Saxony

• Region Hannover 1,140,888
• Osnabrück, Landkreis 354,821
• Emsland 334,539
• Göttingen 328,028
• Hildesheim 267,506
• Harburg 265,864
• Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt 252,962
• Diepholz 221,202
• Stade 207,700
• Cuxhaven 198,842
• Aurich 188,816
• Lüneburg, Landkreis 179,448
• Cloppenburg 177,025
• Oldenburg (Oldenburg), Kreisfreie Stadt 176,614
• Gifhorn 175,943
• Celle 172,449
• Leer 169,103
• Osnabrück, Kreisfreie Stadt 166,057
• Rotenburg (Wümme) 165,904
• Schaumburg 156,841
• Hameln-Pyrmont 150,203
• Vechta 146,539
• Grafschaft Bentheim 144,543
• Heidekreis 141,321
• Verden 138,626
• Peine 137,045
• Oldenburg, Landkreis 132,008
• Wolfsburg, Kreisfreie Stadt 129,560
• Ammerland 127,751
• Goslar 126,775
• Northeim 125,623
• Nienburg (Weser) 121,468
• Wolfenbüttel 118,290
• Osterholz 113,598
• Salzgitter, Kreisfreie Stadt 104,970
• Friesland (DE) 100,411
• Uelzen 91,638
• Helmstedt 90,227
• Wesermarsch 88,936
• Delmenhorst, Kreisfreie Stadt 81,406
• Holzminden 65,581
• Wittmund 55,969
• Emden, Kreisfreie Stadt 49,202
• Lüchow-Dannenberg 46,502

Up a level: Lower Saxony · 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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