Research website numbeo ranks Berlin in the top third compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Berlin scored well on index factors such as purchasing power (top 22%), pollution (lowest 36%), health care (top 45%) and property price to income ratio (lowest 49%).
The Berlin Wall contains the world’s longest open-air art gallery, showcasing 101 works painted by 118 artists from 21 countries. The annual Berlinale is the largest publicly attended film festival, with roughly 500,000 admissions which is more than any other international film festival.
Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde has on display the biggest mounted dinosaur in the world. In addition, Berlin has two zoos which are home to more animals than any other city. On a tastier note, Fassbender & Rausch in Germany’s capital city is one of the globe’s largest chocolate stores.
Berlin was recognized by the Guinness World Records as where the longest structure was constructed using a natural stucco that hardens within 30 minutes. Measuring 342 feet 1.2 inches (104.273 meters), the structure was built by two Germans on September 13, 2019.
From an international trade perspective, in 2019 Germany placed third among the world’s biggest export nations shipping US$1.486 trillion worth of goods around the globe. Its most valuable exports are cars (10% of Germany’s global total), automotive parts or accessories (4.3%), drugs and medicines (4%), aircraft including airplanes and helicopters (2.2%), human or animal blood (2%), individual-function machinery (1.2%), medical, dental and veterinarian instruments (1.1%), computers (1%), then electronic integrated circuits (also 1%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Berlin, Germany: Quick Reference
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Berlin, Germany.
- Hasso Plattner, co-founder SAP SE software (born Jan. 21, 1944)
- Nadja Auermann, supermodel (born Mar. 19, 1971)
- Jérôme Boateng, professional football/soccer player (born Sep. 3, 1988 )
- Michael Ballhaus, cinematographer (born Aug. 5, 1935 )
- Audra McDonald, actress & singer (born Jul. 30, 1970 )
- Wolfgang Kohlhaase, screenwriter & director (born Mar. 13, 1931 )
- Peter Welz, contemporary artist (born Dec. 1, 1972)
- Klaus Wowereit, former mayor of Berlin (born Oct. 1, 1953)
- Nastassja Kinski, actress & model (born Jan. 24, 1961)
- Max Kepler, professional baseball player (born Feb. 10, 1993)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Berlin resident: Berliner (male), Berlinerin (female)
Population: 3,562,038 (Berlin city-state)
Density: 10,352 people per square mile (3,997 per square kilometer)
Population: 6,004,857 (Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region)
Density: 512 people per square mile (198 per square kilometer)
Population: 83,801,803 (Germany) at July 24, 2020
Density: 623 people per square mile (240 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Germany: 45.7 years old
Financial
GDP: US$4.444 trillion in 2019 (Germany)
GDP per person: $53,567
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Berlin: euro
Geography
Capital landmarks: Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Berlin Cathedral and the German Historical Museum
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Europe: Germany.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Longest structure made from stucco.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Berlin.de.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 2016 Cities of Opportunity Report.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Berlin.
Wikipedia, Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region.
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
Wikipedia, Germany.
WorldOMeter, Germany Population.
Germans celebrate Unity Day as a public holiday on each October 3.
Located in northeastern Germany, the Berlin city-state perimeter contains 344.1 square miles (891.1 square kilometers) and is home to 3.6 million residents at July 24, 2020.
At the country level, Germany’s land territory extends over 134,580 square miles (348,560 square kilometers). The nation’s population count was 83.8 million inhabitants as of July 2020.
Population density is more concentrated within Germany’s capital averaging 10,352 Berliners/Berlinerins per square mile (3,997 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Germany’s overall land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 623 residents per square mile (240 per square kilometer).
