Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt had 205,307 residents on 1 January 2025, 13.0% of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 0.25% of Germany; 137th largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 45,100 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 117% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 104th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2024, the city of Rostock had 22.8 doctors per 10,000 residents, compared with 13.1 in the median German district, which ranks it 31st highest of 400 districts. In 2019 the figure was 21.5.
• Education in Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: At 9.8% in 2023, the share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) in the city of Rostock ranked 80th highest of 400 German districts (district median 7.0%). That is down from 11.1% in 2019.
• Poverty and living standards in Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: The share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Rostock was 10.1% in 2023, 83rd highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 6.5%. It was 11.0% in 2019.
• Government budget and revenue in Rostock, Kreisfreie Stadt: At €1,220 in 2023, the tax revenue of its municipalities per resident in the city of Rostock ranked 104th lowest of 400 German districts (district median €1,446). That is up from €1,017 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 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

• Mecklenburgische Seenplatte 246,318
• Vorpommern-Greifswald 224,956
• Landkreis Rostock 218,721
• Vorpommern-Rügen 215,203
• Ludwigslust-Parchim 208,092
• Nordwestmecklenburg 156,692
• Schwerin, Kreisfreie Stadt 98,308

Up a level: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania · 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…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.