Press release No. 07 of March 2, 2022

• 2022 Census will collect data on the housing situation in Germany
• First nationally comparable official data on net rents and vacancy reasons
• Census will provide information also on energy efficiency of residential buildings in Germany

WIESBADEN - There is a lack of housing in many big cities while dwellings are vacant in smaller municipalities. The census can help to address these challenges in a more transparent manner as it will not only record how many people live in Germany but also where and how they live.

For the first time since 2011: figures on how residential space is distributed in Germany

The national census of 2022 is subdivided into a population census and a census of buildings and housing. All owners of houses and dwellings in Germany, roughly 23 million people, will be surveyed to record all residential buildings and dwellings. “The census of buildings and dwellings will supply figures relating to the distribution of residential buildings and dwellings in all of Germany. In addition to their size and age, it will for the first time provide data on net rents exclusive of heating expenses and on vacancy reasons,” explained Stefan Dittrich, project leader of the 2022 Census at the Federal Statistical Office.

All-German data on rents of existing tenancy agreements

The new data to be collected by the 2022 Census will help to meet the increasing need for municipal rent indices that are nationally comparable. The census will thus provide a comprehensive overview of the levels of rent for existing tenancies in the whole of Germany. In addition, results on vacancies will for the first time offer detailed information for the municipalities concerned on how long buildings or dwellings have been vacant and for what reasons, especially in the case of long-term vacancies.

The data collected on all buildings and dwellings in combination with the information on households and families will also allow the housing situation of households and families to be evaluated. It will be possible, for example, to determine the size of dwellings occupied by one-person households or families and whether the respective buildings are single-family or multi-family homes. The 2022 Census results will make it possible for the first time to evaluate the average levels of rent for different types and sizes of households on a regional basis.

The census will provide a data basis regarding energy efficiency in Germany

The 2022 Census will also provide data on energy efficiency. The data collected on buildings by year of construction and by energy source used for heating will give a comprehensive snapshot of the energy carriers currently used. This may not only support future planning concerning the refurbishment of old buildings and the anticipated amounts of funding but also offer general information on the energy efficiency of the existing stock of buildings.
"This means that the census will provide important data on housing in Germany which in turn will form the basis for planning future housing policy at government and municipal level", said Stefan Dittrich from the Federal Statistical Office.

Documents (factsheet and statement, in German) on the online press briefing on “What results are provided by the 2022 Census?” of 23 February 2022, further information on the 2022 Census and pictures for reproduction are available at www.zensus2022.de.

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