Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in Thuringia, Germany. Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt had 218,793 residents on 1 January 2025, 10.4% of Thuringia and 0.26% of Germany; 120th largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 44,100 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 115% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 111th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: At 18.8 in 2024, the number of doctors per 10,000 residents in the city of Erfurt ranked 59th highest of 400 German districts (district median 13.1). It was 19.8 in 2019.
• Education in Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Erfurt recorded a share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) of 7.4%, compared with 7.0% in the median German district, which ranks it 185th highest of 400 districts. In 2019 the figure was 9.5%.
• Poverty and living standards in Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Erfurt recorded a share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) of 8.9%, compared with 6.5% in the median German district, which ranks it 115th highest of 400 districts. It was 10.3% in 2019.
• Government budget and revenue in Erfurt, Kreisfreie Stadt: The tax revenue of its municipalities per resident in the city of Erfurt was €1,326 in 2023, 147th lowest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at €1,446. That is up from €1,034 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 Thuringia

• Wartburgkreis 154,957
• Gotha 135,838
• Schmalkalden-Meiningen 120,214
• Jena, Kreisfreie Stadt 109,725
• Ilm-Kreis 106,657
• Eichsfeld 103,694
• Saalfeld-Rudolstadt 100,105
• Gera, Kreisfreie Stadt 95,608
• Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis 94,613
• Greiz 93,707
• Altenburger Land 87,508
• Saale-Holzland-Kreis 83,342
• Weimarer Land 82,392
• Nordhausen 80,762
• Saale-Orla-Kreis 77,341
• Kyffhäuserkreis 71,738
• Sömmerda 67,693
• Weimar, Kreisfreie Stadt 65,954
• Hildburghausen 59,987
• Sonneberg 54,964
• Suhl, Kreisfreie Stadt 34,685

Up a level: Thuringia · 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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