Population of Munich: population, ethnic composition

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

One of the largest industrial centers in Europe is the German city of Munich. The population in it has long ago exceeded one million people. In addition, this is a rather old settlement, which is the cultural center of the Bavaria region. Let's find out what is the population of Munich, what is its size, demographic characteristics, living conditions and much more.

Geographic location of Munich

Before we start studying the population of Munich, let's find out where this European city is located.

Munich is located in the south-east of Germany in the administrative district of Upper Bavaria in the federal state of Bavaria. Although Munich is the capital of the federal state and the administrative center of the district, but at the same time, it is one of the 107 cities in Germany that have non-district status.

A Brief History of Munich

In order to understand how the population of Munich was formed, you need to look at it through the prism of history.

The history of the appearance of the first settlement in these places dates back to the Early Middle Ages, namely to the VIIIcentury, when monks began to live on the Petersberg hill. They made up the very first population of Munich. Annalistic evidence of Munich appeared only in 1158, but after seventeen years it received the status of a city with all the ensuing privileges. The city was mainly inhabited by the Bavarians - the sub-ethnos of the German people.

In 1240, Munich passed into the possession of Duke Otto the Most Serene of the House of Wittelsbach, who was the ruler of Bavaria and the Palatinate, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From that time until 1918, the Wittelsbachs did not lose the right to own the specified city. In 1255, after the division of Bavaria into two parts between the brothers, Munich became the capital of the Duchy of Upper Bavaria. In 1507, Bavaria was again united into a single duchy, but nevertheless Munich did not lose its capital status, remaining the center of the united state. In 1806, Bavaria received the status of a kingdom. Munich reached its real heyday under King Ludwig I, who carried out construction in the city, decorated it, and invited many famous cultural figures here. The city has become a real cultural capital of southern Germany.

During World War I, the city was bombed by the Entente forces. After the war, the king of Bavaria fled the country, and in 1919 in Munich, Marxist forces proclaimed the creation of the Bavarian Soviet Republic. However, less than a month later, Bavaria was returned to Germany (Weimar Republic).

It is in Munich that the origins of German Nazism originate. Here in 1920 the National SocialistGerman Workers' Party. In 1923, the Nazis launched an unsuccessful coup d'état in Munich, which became known as the Beer Putsch. In 1933, the Nazis still managed to come to power in Germany through democratic elections. But it should be noted that Munich at the same time became the main center of the anti-Nazi movement among German cities. During the Second World War, the city was repeatedly subjected to air strikes, during which the population of Munich was reduced by at least 25%.

After the end of the war, Munich fell into the American zone of occupation. The city was rebuilt. In 1949, it became part of the newly formed state of the Federal Republic of Germany. Munich became the largest industrial city in the country, as well as one of its political and cultural centers. In terms of size and population in Germany, this settlement is second only to the capital of the country - the city of Berlin, as well as Hamburg.

Population

Now it's time to determine what population Munich has. This indicator is the base for all other demographic calculations. So, the population of Munich is currently 1526.1 thousand people.

As mentioned earlier, this is the third most populated result in Germany. For comparison, 3490.1 thousand people live in Berlin, 1803.8 thousand people live in Hamburg, and 1017.2 thousand people live in Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany.

Dynamics of population change

Now let's find out how it changed indynamics of the population of the city. Munich has generally increased in this indicator, although there have been periods when the number of residents temporarily decreased.

We will start our excursion from 1840, when Munich was the capital of the kingdom. Then 126.9 thousand people lived in it. The population grew until 1939. So, in 1871 it was 193.0 thousand people, in 1900 - 526.1 thousand people, in 1925 - 720.5 thousand people, in 1939 - 840.2 thousand people. But the Second World War, which resulted in the mobilization of men into the army, as well as the bombing of the city by allied troops, significantly reduced the number. According to the 1950 census, the population of Munich is 830.8 thousand people, but we can say with confidence that in the first post-war years the number of residents was even less. But then the growth began. So, in 1960, the number has already exceeded one million inhabitants, thereby setting a record for the city, and amounted to 1101.4 thousand inhabitants. In 1970, the city was already inhabited by 1312 thousand inhabitants.

But then Munich, however, like the whole of Germany, suffered a demographic crisis. The birth rate has decreased significantly with the increase in society's awareness of the level of responsibility for the child. In 1980, the population fell to the level of 1298.9 thousand people, in 1990 it decreased to 1229.0 thousand people, and in 2000 to 1210.2 thousand people.

True, in the next period, the number of residents began to grow again. Already in 2009, it reached a record level for the entire previous history - 1330.4 thousand inhabitants. But the growth didn't stop there. ATIn 2013, the population reached the figure of 1407.8 thousand inhabitants, in 2015 - 1405.4 thousand inhabitants, and at present it is 1526.1 thousand inhabitants. The population growth trend in the city continues now.

Population density

The area occupied by Munich is 310.4 square meters. km. Knowing the area and population, it is not difficult to calculate its density in Munich. At the moment it is 4890 people/sq. km.

For comparison, let's take a look at the density in other major cities in Germany. In Berlin, it is 3834 people/sq. km, in Hamburg - 2388, 6 people / sq. km,. and in Cologne - 2393 people / sq. km. Thus, we can state the fact that Munich has a fairly high population density.

Ethnic composition

Now let's find out what nationalities people live in the capital of Bavaria - Munich. The overwhelming majority of the city's population are Germans, most of whom belong to the Bavarians sub-ethnos. Some ethnographers have even tried to separate them into a separate nation, since the culture and dialect are very different from the population of the rest of Germany.

But the city has quite a lot of immigrants from other countries of the world, as well as persons with foreign citizenship, including those with refugee status. The proportion of such residents exceeds 25% of the total population. But the social protection of the population of Munich extends to most of them.

Most of all among the population of Munich immigrants from Turkey. Their number is 39.4 thousand people. In addition, many of their descendantsCroatia (29.3 thousand inhabitants), Greece (26.4 thousand inhabitants), Italy (26.0 thousand inhabitants), Austria (21.8 thousand inhabitants), Poland (21.1 thousand living.), Bosnia and Herzegovina (16.5 thousand inhabitants), Romania (16.2 thousand inhabitants), Serbia (13.5 thousand inhabitants). It should be noted that the influx of refugees from Arab countries, mainly from Syria, has especially increased recently. However, this is a problem not only in Munich or Germany, but throughout Europe. However, Munich has the largest percentage of residents with a migration background in relation to the total urban population (compared to other large German cities).

Religion

Almost half of Munich's population does not belong to any religious community. Such people make up about 45% of the total population. At the same time, 33.1% of the population are members of the Roman Catholic Church, 11.9% are Protestants, 7.2% are Muslims, 0.3% are Jews, and another 0.7% belong to other faiths.

The city of Munich is trying to ensure the rights of representatives of all religious denominations in the city.

Employment of the population

Now let's find out in which areas of activity the population of Munich is employed. We present a description of the main areas of production in the city below.

The main branch of Munich's economy is mechanical engineering, in particular the automotive and aircraft industries. So, the largest German car manufacturing plant, which is a world-famous brand - BMW (Bavarian Motor Works), is located on the territory of the city. This is an enterpriseprovides the population with more than 100 thousand jobs.

The city has a developed electronics industry (Siemens concern). In addition, Munich is one of the world's largest centers of beer production.

But industry is not the only area of the city's economy. The provision of various services, in particular of a financial nature, is also developed here, since Munich is a major banking center.

Social protection of the population

Like most cities in the European Union, Munich maintains high social standards. In particular, the employment center is engaged in the employment of the unemployed and the payment of benefits to them. The people of Munich are thus immune to the problems that come with losing a job.

As mentioned above, refugees and other migrants are also not left without adequate protection. They are also considered to constitute the population of Munich. The Migration Service, as well as other social institutions, provided that the settlers comply with German laws, also guarantee them social protection.

General characteristics of the population of Munich

Munich is the third most populous city in Germany, the largest industrial and cultural center of the country. Currently, the city is experiencing a constant increase in the number of inhabitants, which is provided, among other things, by migrants, who make up about 25% of the total population of Munich. About half of the city's population does not practice any religion. Amongthe majority of believers are Catholics.

In general, we can say that Munich has excellent demographic and economic prospects.