: Statistics on real estate, housing and investment

How is the general economic situation of people developing? When is buying or selling worthwhile? What current studies are available? We have made it our mission to collect the most important results from the Federal Statistical Office for you.

Tip! Classic or exotic: Which property is suitable as an investment? The interview: Real estate as an investment (Part 1) + my Investment Atlas for Germany

House Price Index in Germany

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Current Inflation in Germany

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Attractiveness for Real Estate Investments

The shares of real estate companies in Germany give an impression, as does the Federal Statistical Office. Let’s start with the most important question:

How do you assess Germany’s attractiveness as a location for real estate investments in the year?

More statistics can be found at Statista

Germany’s Position in the European Comparison

How would you assess Germany’s attractiveness as a location for real estate investments in 2019 in comparison to other European countries?

2023: The Real Estate Price Drop -6.8%

The latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office:

“The average price of residential real estate fell by 6.8% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this was the largest decline in residential property prices compared to a previous quarter since the start of the time series in 2000.”

This applies not only to existing properties, but the sentiment is also reflected in new construction.

Completion of residential units in residential and non-residential buildings

Here you can see the official evaluation of: “Completion of residential units in residential and non-residential buildings* in Germany (in thousands)”. The latest figures are still from 2022. In the first half of 2023, construction permits were granted for 135,200 residential units in Germany, whereas 200,000 would have been needed to achieve the planned target of 400,000 new buildings for the year.

• Target 2022: 400,000 newly built residential units
• Achieved: 292,000

Residential construction stagnates: Number of approved housing units

How has the number of approved housing units in residential and non-residential buildings in Germany developed? The number of new approvals is decreasing, as well as the actual newly built units.

– 27.1 % in 20 years

Number of approved housing units in residential and non-residential buildings in Germany from 1995 to 2017.

• 2022: 331,300
• 2018: 346,810
• 2013: 270,34
• 2008: 174,691
• 2003: 296,823
• 1998: 475,711

Tip! Interesting statistics

Further studies and statistics can be found on the websites of the Federal Statistical Office. Read more about:

• Heirs and inheritance statistics
• Money investment statistics
• For new construction: Weather statistics

2019: Stable growth

Income thresholds for classifying individuals and couples as poor or rich

Here you can see the official analysis of: “Income thresholds for classifying individuals and couples as poor or rich based on monthly net income”.

• Poor (1 person): 781 euro
• Normal (1 person): 1.301 euro
• Wealthy (1 person): 3.418 euro
• Poor (couple): 1.171 euro
• Normal (couple): 1.952 euro
• Wealthy (couple): 5.127 euro

More statistics can be found at Statista

Disposable income per employee

Disposable income per employee in Germany from 1960 to 2018. Here you can see the average disposable income per employee in the last 5 years in Germany:

• 2018: 22,792 Euro
• 2017: 22,124 Euro
• 2016: 21,636 Euro
• 2015: 21,098 Euro
• 2014: 20,577 Euro

Unemployment rate on an annual average

Unemployment rate in Germany on an annual average from 2004 to 2019. Here you can see the official evaluation of the unemployment rate in the last 5 years in Germany:

• 2019: 5.3 percent
• 2018: 5.2 percent
• 2017: 5.7 percent
• 2016: 6.1 percent
• 2015: 6.4 percent

Average unemployment number

Average unemployment number in Germany from 2004 to 2019. Here you can see the average unemployment number in Germany over the last 5 years:

• 2019: 2.39 million
• 2018: 2.34 million
• 2017: 2.53 million
• 2016: 2.69 million
• 2015: 2.79 million

2018: Rent Boom

Square meter price for condominium – Top 10

Here you see the cities with the highest square meter prices for condominiums in comparison of the years 2010 and 2018* (in euros per square meter).

1. Munich (Bavaria) with 8,342 euros per square meter; from 6,737 euros per sqm in 2014; increase of 1,695 euros per sqm in 4 years
2. Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg) with 5.925 Euro per square meter; from 4.744 Euro per sqm² in 2014; increase of 1.181 Euro per sqm²
3. Frankfurt am Main (Hessen) with 6.060 Euro per square meter; from 4.373 Euro per sqm² in 2014; increase of 1.687 Euro per sqm²
4. Freiburg im Breisgau (Bayern) with 4.943 Euro per square meter; from 4.740 Euro per sqm² in 2014; increase of 203 Euro per sqm²
5. Ingolstadt (Bayern) with 4.969 Euro per square meter; from 4.287 Euro per sqm² in 2014; increase of 682 Euro per sqm²

More statistics can be found at Statista

Cities with the highest rental prices for apartments

Here you can see the 10 cities with the highest rental prices in the 4th quarter of the house valuation and the common methods can be found here. Year 2018:

1. Munich: 17.56 Euro/m²
2. Frankfurt am Main: 13.96 Euro/m²
3. Stuttgart: 13.64 Euro/m²
4. Berlin: 12, 29 Euro/m²
5. Darmstadt: 12.23 Euro/m²
6. Mainz: 12.17 Euro/m²
7. Freiburg: 12.13 Euro/m²
8. Wiesbaden: 12.03 Euro/m²
9. Hamburg: 11.94 Euro/m²

2017: New Construction Volume

More on the topic:

• New Construction: Single-family home, building land, financing and costs
• Developer: Realizing new construction

Approval volume for new residential and non-residential buildings

2016: Comparison of Federal States

Number of newly built residential buildings by federal state

Here you can see the number of newly built residential buildings by federal state:

• Bavaria: 21,600
• North Rhine-Westphalia: 17,400
• Lower Saxony: 15,400
• Baden-Württemberg: 14,500
• Schleswig-Holstein: 6,800
• Hesse: 6,400
• Brandenburg: 6,200
• Rhine-Palatinate: 5,900
• Saxony: 4,300
• Mecklenburg-West Pomerania: 2,400
• Berlin: 2,200
• Saxony-Anhalt: 2,100
• Thuringia: 2,000
• Hamburg: 1,400
• Saarland: 900
• Bremen: 500

Development of house prices

Development of house prices in Germany from 2000 to 2017 (2015 = index 100).

Development of the rental price index

Development of the rental price index for Germany from 1995 to 2017 (2010 = index 100)

Other

Development of local rental prices

How have local rental prices developed in your region in recent years?

Controversy: Google Street View

Would it bother you if your house were visible up close in Google Street View on the internet or is that not the case?

Condominium Ownership

How high is the homeownership rate in the individual federal states? Here are the “most recent” figures from the federal statistical office. Since 2014, there has been no new survey. As soon as new data becomes available, we will include it here! Here you can see the homeownership rate in Germany between 1998 and 2014 by federal state.

© Statista 2019 – Source: Federal Statistical Office

Sell hotel – Tourism and guest numbers

Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt and nationwide: Tourism in Germany is booming and has been shining with new record numbers for over 10 years. Accordingly, the number of overnight guests is naturally increasing, as is the demand for hotels in the real estate market. From the stylish, luxurious boutique hotel in the city center to hotels with attached gastronomy and event areas. In Germany, people are not only taking more vacations, but also spending more money on them. As a result, prices for overnight stays are rising, and the hotel industry is becoming a lucrative business for more and more companies and entrepreneurs.

Therefore: The real estate market and the tourism market are both currently on the rise. If you sell now, you will achieve a good selling price – why wait for the next real estate bubble?

Overnight stays in German accommodation establishments from 1992 to 2018 (in millions).

Help and Definition

The most important forms of representation and terms at a glance:

Why are the studies so selective?

The Federal Statistical Office only offers a part of the information for free use. A large portion of the statistics that have been prepared for use are only available with a Premium account. This Premium account at the Federal Statistical Office costs 49 € per month.

What is a bar chart?

Bar charts are the most common form of statistical results used by the Federal Statistical Office. In a bar chart, different values are displayed on a scale. The scale extends along one axis and contains a value, such as the number of inhabitants or the average income. The other axis then carries the different types or classes, for example, different age groups or the subdivision into different districts.

What is a pie chart?

The pie chart format is used relatively rarely by the Federal Statistical Office. A pie chart displays statistical values in a 100% distribution. A pie, meaning a circle, represents 100%. When entering individual values, a straight line is drawn from the edge to the center, creating small triangles, one side slightly rounded. This creates the optical effect of a pie slice. That is why this form of presenting statistical values is also called a pie chart.

What does the Federal Statistical Office do?

As an authority, the Federal Statistical Office is responsible for collecting general, relevant data. This data is used, among other things, by various ministries, as well as by associations, private individuals, and naturally also by students and students. The Federal Statistical Office is based in Berlin, but is also represented by various offices throughout the country.

Are the statistical data representative?

Yes, the surveys conducted by the Federal Statistical Office are mostly representative surveys or results from extrapolations. The data are therefore interesting for many population groups, from the real estate agent who wants to observe the demographic development of a particular area to students preparing for a presentation or a major research paper. Thus, the Federal Statistical Office fulfills a major and important task in Germany.

Further studies and statistics can be found on the internet pages of the Federal Statistical Office. Read more about:

• Heirs and Inheritance
• Saving money / Investment
• Weather in Germany

Special: Real Estate & Corona – Updates

More articles and analysis on real estate in the Corona Crisis:

• Demand increases (Google Trends): Real estate sales
• Is the real estate bubble bursting? Price development
• Housing bubble, what does that mean?
• COVID-19: Coronavirus Meaning

Analysis and evaluation: Real estate key figures

We already reported a few weeks ago, is Corona bursting the 2nd real estate bubble?

What do the trends say? Together with our online marketing expert, we set about analysing the current queries. A large proportion of search queries in Germany are made via Google, just under 90%. Accordingly, a lot can be read from the data that Google provides.

Data collection by means of trends (search queries)

A special tool for analyzing demand is Google Trends. Google Trends looks at the search behavior of certain cities, states, countries but also worldwide. Thus, trends can be identified early but also long-term conclusions can be drawn.

Parameters (search terms)

For our trend study, we looked at the following questions in particular:

1. Sell property
2. Apartment / condominium for sale
3. Sell house / detached house
4. Sell apartment house

How has demand developed over the last 12 months and what is the trend for the next 30 days?

Increased interest also in the Longtail

Additionally, we have an insight from our own online statistics. This looks at the “long tail”, which means search results on page 2, 3, 4 on Google. The more users not only stay on page 1, but click further, the higher the current interest in a topic seems to be. They are apparently looking for further, more detailed or simply more information, therefore go from page 1 also on page 2, 3 and 4.

Factor: Valuation

For the evaluation, we used a comparison period of 12 months. The value 100 represents the highest search volume within the last 12 months.

Selling real estate: Results

The trend analysis in the field of real estate sales (08/20) deals with the increasing demand. Very directly visible, among others on the main keyword “sell property”. The charts and the review of the last 12 months can be found below.

Moderately increased, on average only 2 to 3 points, are the sale of house and condominium. So here there seems to be no big changes in the amount of search queries yet.

Very noticeable, on the other hand, is the trend on the topic of “selling multi-family houses”. As you will see in the individual analyses and charts, the trend is jumping upwards these days.

Likewise extreme increase registers “real estate sell”

• +/ – Stagnant: “Sell house”, “Sell apartment”.
• + Rising: “Sell property”
• ++ Strongly increasing: “Sell apartment house”

Selling Real Estate: Analysis and infographic

Sell house, sell apartment, added together, an increase on average of no more than 2 (possible 100). The demand on the subject of “selling real estate”, however, goes strongly upwards. In the comparison period of the last 12 months from the factor 26 to meanwhile 79 / 100.

• Search Keyword: sell real estate
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

Who wants to sell their property?

Brandenburg and Hamburg are at the top of the list when it comes to the amount of searches. Also very interesting, the south is far ahead, with Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Here, the ownership rate is also the very highest. Read more about real estate statistics here.

1. Brandenburg
2. Hamburg
3. Thuringia
4. Baden-Württemberg
5. Bavaria

Selling a House: Analysis and infographic

Before we move on to the analysis regarding multifamily housing, let’s take a look at the smaller households, or owners of single-family homes and townhomes. The movements have increased only moderately, on average by 2 to 3 points. No extreme changes on a scale of 100. In between, the inquiries were even below the typical average.

• Search Keyword: Haus verkaufen
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

Selling an apartment: Analysis and infographic

Also in the area of apartment or condominium sales, the increases are very moderate. Here, too, the average is 3 to 4 points, viewed in the short term. In the comparative period of the last 12 months, the demand even decreases slightly, related to July-December 2019, compared to January-July 2020.

• Search Keyword: sell apartment
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

Selling multifamily housing: Extreme increase

The trend curve then explodes but formally on the subject of multi-family house sale. As you can see in particular in the rash of the current days, there seems to be a significantly increased interest among property owners.

• Search Keyword: Mehrfamilienhaus verkaufen
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

Insider: Desperate search? Interest as an indicator

But even more interesting is a look at the “long tail” of search queries.

As previously described, another indicator of the increased interest in selling real estate is that people are not only looking at the search results on the first page but are looking for even more detailed, additional information. This can be seen because more people click on page 2, 3 and 4 on Google, as can be seen here in the analysis:

Selling a house: Analysis real estate portal

Source (screenshot): Google Search Console

Insolvency

1. Hamburg
2. Bremen
3. North Rhine-Westphalia
4. Schleswig-Holstein
5. Baden-Württemberg

Insolvency: analysis and infographic

• Search Keyword: Insolvency
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

Statistics: Number of insolvencies

Total number of insolvency proceedings in Germany from April 2019 to April 2020:

You can find more statistics at Statista

Real Estate Share

1. Rhineland-Palatinate
2. Bavaria
3. Hesse
4. Baden-Württemberg
5. Berlin

Real estate share: analysis and infographic

• Search Keyword: Immobilienaktie
• Period: 12 months (07/19-07/20)
• Portal: Google Trends

House development: property, construction and costs

1. What do you associate with it?
2. Building land drives up the price (land prices)
3. Building land becomes more expensive (+79.6%)
4. Price development in comparison: regions
5. Ground tax in comparison
6. Price development of agricultural land
7. Development of construction investments in Germany
8. Prefabricated construction: Approval volumes

Home construction: What do you associate with it?

For most people, building a house means making a home for themselves; for 35%, self-realization is the main focus. The chart shows selected data on the topic of “house construction”.

Building land drives up the price (land prices)

The chart shows the development of land prices for plots of land for individual development.

More statistics can be found at Statista

Building land becomes more expensive (+79.6%)

According to current data from the Federal Statistical Office, prices for building land in Germany will rise again in 2018 – for the seventh year in succession.

• 2005 – 95,82 Euro / square meter
• 2008 – 82.25 euros / square meter
• 2010 – 94,05 Euro / square meter
• 2013 – 106,48 Euro / square meter
• 2015 – 116,81 Euro / square meter
• 2018 – 147.73 Euro / square meter
• Increase over the last 10 years + 79.61% (2008-2018)

More statistics can be found at Statista

Price development in comparison: South, East, North & Middle

In the south, real estate prices for single-family homes are rising most strongly, from 310,000 euros (2007) to now 480,000 euros (+ 54.84%). Average price development for single-family houses in Germany (in 1,000 euros).

• South – 310.000 Euro (2007) high to 480.000 Euro
• Increase in the south of 170,000 Euros / + 54.84%
• Middle – 250,000 Euro to 280,000 Euro
• Increase in the middle of 30,000 Euro (+12%)
• North – 180.000 Euro on 230.000 Euro
• East – 130.000 Euro on 190.000 Euro

More statistics can be found at Statista

Ground tax in comparison

The property tax is levied on property, but also on hereditary building rights to land, the so-called substance tax. The assessment basis for the land tax is usually the value of the property. The tax rate is usually set at the municipal level. This infographic shows the tax revenue of German municipalities by type of tax (in billion euros).

More statistics can be found at Statista

Price development of agricultural land

The chart shows farmers the average purchase value in euros per hectare for agricultural land in Germany. The increase from 1994 to 2014 is +63.6%, or 7,000 euros per hectare of land.

• 1994 ~ 11,000 Euro
• 1999 ~ 9,000 Euro
• 2004 ~ 9,500 Euro
• 2009 ~ 11,000 Euro
• 2014 ~ 18,000 Euro (+63.6%)

Development of construction investments in Germany

Development of construction investments in Germany in the years 2000 to 2016 (compared to previous year).

More statistics can be found at Statista

Prefabricated part construction: Approval volume

Approval volume for new residential and non-residential buildings in prefabricated construction in Germany by type of building in the years 2001 to 2018(in billion euros).

Residential buildings

• 2001 – 3.69 billion Euro
• 2018 – 6.24 billion euros
• Increase of EUR 2.55 billion (+69.1%)

Non-residential buildings

• 2001 – 9.04 billion Euro
• 2018 – 10.06 billion euros
• Increase of EUR 1.02 billion (+11.28%)

You can find more statistics at Statista

Financing

For as long as she works for your home

This chart shows how much net annual income one would have to spend on 100 square metres of residential property in the ten largest German cities.

More statistics can be found at Statista

Cities with highest real estate loans

The chart shows a ranking according to highest average mortgage loan in the 20 largest cities in Germany based on a current evaluation of the comparison platform Check24. Loans of 500,000 euros are compared here, for 101 square metres of living space.

Munich in 1st place: Here you have to invest the most for good living space.

1. Munich – 504,000 euros
2. Frankfurt – 417,000 Euro
3. Hamburg – 384,000 euros
4. Düsseldorf – 374,000 euros
5. Stuttgart – 373.000 Euro
6. Münster – 358,000 euros
7. Bonn – 344.000 Euro
8. Cologne – 329,000 euros
9. Berlin – 327.000 Euro
10. Nuremberg – 295,000 euros

More statistics can be found at Statista