Population of Munich: number, ethnic composition

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

Geographical location of Munich

Before we begin to study the population of Munich, let's find out where this European city is located.

Munich is located in the southeast 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, one must look at it through the prism of history.

The history of the appearance of the first settlement in these places refers to the Early Middle Ages, namely, to the 8th century, when monks began to live on the Petersberg hill. They made up the very first population of Munich. Chronicle of Munich appeared only in 1158, but only seventeen years later it received the status of a city with all the privileges that ensue from it. The city was mainly inhabited by the Bavarians - the subethnos of the German people.

In 1240, Munich passed into the possession of Duke Otton the Serene from the house of the Wittelsbachs, 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 this city. In 1255, after the division of Bavaria into two parts between brothers, Munich became the capital of the duchy of Upper Bavaria. In 1507, Bayern merged 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. The real heyday Munich reached under King Ludwig I, who produced in the city of construction, decorated it, invited here many well-known cultural figures. The city became the real cultural capital of southern Germany.

During the First World War, the city was bombed by the Entente forces. After the war, the King of Bavaria fled the country, and in 1919 in Munich, the 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 Socialist German Workers' Party was founded. In 1923 in Munich, the Nazis made an unsuccessful attempt at a coup d'état, which became known as the Beer Putsch. In 1933, the Nazis 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 war, Munich fell into the American zone of occupation. The city was rebuilt. In 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany joined the newly formed state. Munich became the country's largest industrial city, as well as one of its political and cultural centers. In terms of size and population in Germany, this locality 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 kind of population Munich has. This indicator is the base for all other calculations for demography. So, the population of Munich at the moment is 1526.1 thousand people.

As stated earlier, this is the third most popular result in Germany. For comparison, in Berlin there are 3490.1 thousand people, in Hamburg - 1803.8 thousand people, and in the fourth largest city of Germany Cologne - 1017.2 thousand people.

Dynamics of population change

Now let's find out how the population of the city was changing in dynamics. Munich mainly increased in this indicator, although there were periods when the number of residents temporarily decreased.

We will begin our excursion from 1840, when Munich was the capital of the kingdom. Then it was home to 126.9 thousand people. 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 forces, significantly reduced the number. The population of Munich, according to the 1950 census, is 830.8 thousand people, but with certainty it can be said that in the first post-war years the number of people living was even less. But then growth began. So, in 1960 the number had already exceeded one million inhabitants, thereby establishing a city record, and amounted to 1101.4 thousand. In 1970 the city already inhabited 1312 thousand inhabitants.

But then Munich, however, as well as the whole of Germany, comprehended the demographic crisis. The birth rate has significantly decreased with increasing awareness in the community of the level of responsibility for the child. In 1980, the population dropped to the level of 1298.9 thousand people, in 1990 it dropped to 1,229.0 thousand people, and in 2000 to 1210.2 thousand people.

However, in the next period the number of people resumed to grow again. In 2009, it reached a record level for the entire previous history - 1330.4 thousand. But the growth did not stop there. In 2013, the population reached 1407.8 thousand people, in 2015 - 1405.4 thousand people, and now it is 1526.1 thousand people. The trend of increasing the number of people in the city continues today.

Population density

The area of the territory, which occupies 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 per square kilometer. Km.

For comparison, take a look at the density in other major cities in Germany. In Berlin, it is 3,834 people per square kilometer. Km, in Hamburg - 2388.6 people / sq. Km. Km ,. And in Cologne - 2393 people / sq. Km. Km. Thus, we can state the fact that Munich has a rather high population density.

Ethnic composition

Now we will find out which people of nationalities live in the capital of Bavaria - Munich. The overwhelming majority of the city's population is made up of Germans, most of whom belong to the sub-ethnos of the Bavarians. Some ethnographers even tried to separate them into a separate nation, since culture and dialect differ significantly from the population of the rest of Germany.

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

Most of the population of Munich is immigrants from Turkey. Their number is 39.4 thousand people. In addition, many people of their Croatia (29.3 thousand people), Greece (26.4 thousand.), Italy (26.0 thousand.), Austria (21.8 thousand.), Poland (21,100 inhabitants), Bosnia and Herzegovina (16,500 inhabitants), Romania (16,200 inhabitants), Serbia (13,500 inhabitants). It should be noted that in recent times the influx of refugees from Arab countries, mainly from Syria, has increased especially. However, this is a problem not only for Munich or Germany, but for the whole of Europe. At the same time, Munich has the largest percentage of residents with a migration background in relation to the general urban population (in comparison with other major German populated areas).

Religion

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

The administration of the city of Munich tries to ensure the rights of representatives of all religious confessions of the city.

Employment

Now let's find out in which areas of activity the population of Munich is occupied. The description of the main production areas in the city we present below.

The main branch of the economy of Munich is engineering, in particular, automotive and aircraft construction. So, on the territory of the city is located the largest German factory for the production of cars, which is a brand with a worldwide reputation - BMW (Bavarian motor factories). This enterprise provides the population with more than 100 thousand jobs.

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

But industry is not the only direction of the city's economy. Developed here and the provision of various services, in particular of a financial nature, since Munich is a major banking center.

Social protection of the population

As in most other European Union cities, 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 population of Munich, therefore, is insured against problems that arise after the loss of work.

As mentioned above, refugees and other migrants also do not remain without adequate protection. They are also considered persons who make up the population of Munich. The migration service, as well as other social institutions, provided migrants comply with the laws of Germany, also guarantee them social protection.

General characteristics of the population of Munich

Munich is the third largest city in Germany, the largest industrial and cultural center of the country. Currently, there is a constant increase in the number of residents in the city, which is provided by migrants, including about 25% of the total population of Munich. About half of the city's population does not profess any religion. Among the believers, most are Catholics.

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