Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt had 574,682 residents on 1 January 2025, 3.2% of North Rhine-Westphalia and 0.69% of Germany; 15th largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 48,600 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 127% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 83rd highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: The number of doctors per 10,000 residents in the city of Essen was 14.4 in 2024, 134th highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 13.1. In 2019 the figure was 14.0.
• Education in Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Essen recorded a share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) of 8.3%, compared with 7.0% in the median German district, which ranks it 139th highest of 400 districts. It was 7.9% in 2019.
• Poverty and living standards in Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: The share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Essen was 18.6% in 2023, 3rd highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 6.5%. In 2019 the figure was 19.1%.
• Government budget and revenue in Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Essen recorded a tax revenue of its municipalities per resident of €1,764, compared with €1,446 in the median German district, which ranks it 76th highest of 400 districts. In 2019 the figure was €1,479.

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 North Rhine-Westphalia

• Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt 1,024,621
• Recklinghausen 621,305
• Düsseldorf, Kreisfreie Stadt 618,685
• Rhein-Sieg-Kreis 605,441
• Dortmund, Kreisfreie Stadt 603,462
• Städteregion Aachen 582,410
• Duisburg, Kreisfreie Stadt 502,270
• Mettmann 490,910
• Rhein-Erft-Kreis 477,988
• Wesel 457,918
• Rhein-Kreis Neuss 457,077
• Steinfurt 451,712
• Märkischer Kreis 408,046
• Unna 393,784
• Borken 380,796
• Gütersloh 363,982
• Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt 358,676
• Wuppertal, Kreisfreie Stadt 358,193
• Lippe 347,149
• Bielefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt 331,605
• Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt 323,336
• Kleve 322,018
• Minden-Lübbecke 320,557
• Paderborn 315,912
• Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis 314,167
• Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt 308,258
• Soest 300,297
• Viersen 297,857
• Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis 284,273
• Warendorf 282,639
• Düren 279,285
• Siegen-Wittgenstein 274,074
• Oberbergischer Kreis 274,057
• Gelsenkirchen, Kreisfreie Stadt 267,930
• Mönchengladbach, Kreisfreie Stadt 267,213
• Heinsberg 263,681
• Hochsauerlandkreis 260,843
• Herford 254,404
• Krefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt 231,406
• Coesfeld 227,859
• Oberhausen, Kreisfreie Stadt 213,646
• Euskirchen 202,609
• Hagen, Kreisfreie Stadt 190,384
• Hamm, Kreisfreie Stadt 179,968
• Mülheim an der Ruhr, Kreisfreie Stadt 173,050
• Leverkusen, Kreisfreie Stadt 168,581
• Solingen, Kreisfreie Stadt 165,626
• Herne, Kreisfreie Stadt 155,851
• Höxter 139,252
• Olpe 132,346
• Bottrop, Kreisfreie Stadt 118,535
• Remscheid, Kreisfreie Stadt 113,828

Up a level: North Rhine-Westphalia · 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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