Press release No. 48 of August 15, 2024

• 12.4 million families were owner-occupiers
• 7% of families were living in 40 to 59 square metres of space
• Results for households and families now available in the census database

WIESBADEN – Around 12.4 million families were owner-occupiers on 15 May 2022 (Census Day), as indicated by the results for households and families released today in the census database. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that 57% of all families in Germany were living in their own home, up from 56% in 2011. In the 2022 Census, families include couples with and without children and lone parents with children. In the case of couples with children, 62% owned their accommodation.

There are significant differences in this regard between the individual Länder: in Saarland, it was particularly common for couples with children to live in their own home (74%), while in Berlin it was quite rare (25%).  Among the urban administrative districts,  couples with children were more likely to be owner-occupiers in Emden (67%), Zweibrücken (64%) and Ansbach (63%), while home ownership among couples with children was least common in Berlin (25%), Leipzig (28%) and Offenbach am Main (30%).

All the results for "Families: type of family nucleus (by families) and type of use of the dwelling/rooms" can be found in table 6000F-2003 in the census database:
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/6000F/table/6000F-2003

7% of families living in 40 to 59 square metres of space
On Census Day, 7% of families across Germany were living in dwellings with a living space of 40 to 59 square metres. The share of families living in 60 to 79 square meters and 80 to 99 square metres of space was 19% in each case. 15% of families lived in dwellings with 100 to 119 square metres of space, and a further 15% had a living space of 120 to 139 square metres. In Germany, 10% of families inhabited dwellings with a living space of 140 to 159 square meters, while 5% of families lived in accommodation offering 160 to 179 square metres of space. 3% of families lived in 180 to 199 square metres and 6% of families inhabited dwellings with a living space of 200 square metres or more. The percentage of families inhabiting dwellings with a living space of 40 to 59 square metres was higher than the national average in the city states of Berlin (14%) and Hamburg (11%) and in the eastern Länder of Sachsen (12%), Sachsen-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (both 11%), and lower than the national average in Niedersachsen and Rheinland-Pfalz (both 4%) and in Saarland (3%). Looking at Germany's urban administrative districts, the percentage of families living in 40 to 59 square metres of space was highest in Halle (Saale), at 21%, and lowest in Zweibrücken, at 4%.

All the results for "Families: floor space of the dwelling (20m² increments)" can be found in table 6000F-1011 in the census database:
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/6000F/table/6000F-1011

Many senior citizens living alone in the eastern Länder
On 15 May 2022, 15.1% of households in Germany were one-person households of senior citizens (6.1 million), compared with 12.5% (4.7 million) in 2011. Persons who had reached the age of 65 on the census reference date are considered senior citizens. The proportion of senior citizens living alone was above average (17%) in each of the eastern Länder of Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Thüringen. In Bayern, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen, the corresponding figure was 14% of all households. Looking at urban administrative districts, 21% of all households in Suhl were households of senior citizens who lived alone, as were 12% of households in both Mainz and Heidelberg.

All the results for "Households: senior citizen status of a private household (in detail)" can be found in table 5000H-1003 in the census database:
https://ergebnisse.zensus2022.de/datenbank/online/statistic/5000H/table/5000H-1003

Data on households and families now available in the census database
The census database is a search tool that allows users to retrieve detailed results of the 2022 Census in tabular form for various regional levels - Germany, Länder, administrative districts, municipalities and boroughs (Berlin, Hamburg) - and combine the data with other variables. Various output formats are available for further data processing. The census database is based on the same technology as the other databases provided by official statistics agencies in Germany. Other applications can also communicate with the database directly (API) via programming languages.

Results for households and families are now available in the database (in addition to the results for population (demographics) and buildings and dwellings already included). The next steps will see the release of data on education and employment, and the new publication of the results for 2011 based on the territorial boundaries of 2022.

Methodological notes:
In the 2022 Census, families or family nuclei are formed based on the reference person principle, taking into account persons who have a secondary place of residence. A family nucleus consists of  two or more individuals belonging to the same household: the reference person of the private household – that is, a central person of the household determined according to age, marital status and sex – and at least one other person, for example the partner or a child of the reference person. This family concept limits ancestor-descendant relationships to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is, between parents and children. Other people living in the household are not part of a family nucleus.

The Census is designed to provide nationally comparable results for a specific reference date while keeping the burden on respondents to a minimum. The 2022 Census was carried out using a register-assisted procedure, as was the 2011 Census. This means that existing administrative data were used - particularly from the population registers. The real estate owners to be surveyed were determined, for instance, on the basis of real property tax data. Where no or not enough administrative data were available or the data quality was insufficient, surveys were conducted to obtain the required data. Roughly 12% of the population were polled in the household survey. Approximately 23 million residential property owners provided information on their property for the census of buildings and housing, as did some 8,000 housing companies. For the first time, questions were asked in relation to the rent charged, the heating energy used and the reasons for dwelling vacancy and the vacancy duration. Information on the conduct of the 2022 Census is also provided in the Factsheet zum Ablauf der Befragungen.

More information:
These and other results of the 2022 Census can be accessed at www.zensus2022.de. In the press section, you can find current information for the press, press releases, contacts, press photos and further downloads relating to the 2022 Census.

In addition, the website provides:

• Regional tables for download (in EXCEL format, including machine-readable tables). The regional tables contain data for regional levels - Germany, Länder, administrative regions, urban districts/towns not attached to an administrative district/rural districts, associations of municipalities, and municipalities. They cover the following five subject areas:
  1. Population figures
  2. Demographics
  3. Census of buildings and housing
  4 .Education and employment
  5. Households and families
• The Census Atlas, an interactive map which comprises results for the population, buildings and dwellings on the basis of grid cells (10 km, 1 km and 100 m).
  For the first four maps of the Census Atlas, tables to accompany the grid cells are available for download (in CSV format; 10 km, 1 km and 100 m grid). The topics are:
  1. Population
  2. Type of heating
  3. Energy source used for heating
  4. Net rent exclusive of heating expenses per square metre
  More maps and data sets at grid cell level will follow.
• Podcasts, videos and animations with background information (for example about the benefits of the data) 

Links to all applications will be provided at www.zensus2022.de once they are available. We will also notify all subscribers to our Census Newsletter about further additions to our website. You can register for the newsletter on our press page. At x.com/Zensus2022 we will also keep you abreast of our latest releases.

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For further information:
Press office, Tel: +49 611 75 3444 (service number)
www.zensus2022.de/contact