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"Aachen in figures", February 2025: Census - Aachen in structural comparison

Since July 2024, the results of the 2022 census have gradually been published in the Federal Statistical Office's census database (Destatis, ergebnisse.zensus2022.de). As the survey took place throughout Germany, the data can be used to draw interesting structural comparisons between German municipalities. This edition of "Aachen in figures" takes a closer look at some aspects in which Aachen stands out from the crowd of German municipalities. All of the data considered comes from the census database and relates to the cut-off date of the survey (February 15, 2022).

Demographics
Aachen is a student city with significantly more male than female students. This is clearly reflected in the city's demographics. In fact, men between the ages of 20 and 29 made up 13.8 percent of Aachen's population in the census data. This is the highest figure in a German comparison of all municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants and also stands out among university cities. For women in this age group, Aachen ranked 15th in the national comparison with 9.2 percent. The chart below shows the percentage shares of the various age groups in the total population of the municipalities under review. The light yellow lines represent the national average. The Aachen values are represented by the dark yellow line.

Education
As part of the 2022 census, around 10 percent of the population were asked to provide more detailed information about their living conditions. The highest level of education was one of the characteristics surveyed. The results of the survey were extrapolated to the total population by the Federal Statistical Office. In the data under consideration, the figures for all people over the age of 15 were taken into account. The influence of students can also be seen here: 35.1 percent of Aachen residents do not (yet) have a vocational qualification. The German average is 26.6 percent. This means that Aachen is also well above the average for German municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

If we look at the distribution of educational qualifications, Aachen also stands out in a German comparison. The proportion of people with an academic degree (Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom, Magister or PhD) in Aachen is twice as high as the German average, at 48.8 percent of professional qualifications. The proportion of graduates who have completed an apprenticeship or vocational training in the dual system is significantly lower than the national average. Tübingen has the highest proportion of graduates at 63.8 percent.

Living situation and households
The high proportion of students in Aachen is also reflected in the relationship status of its residents: at 53.4 percent, more than half of Aachen residents were single on May 15, 2022. Aachen ranks sixth in the national comparison. Only Tübingen, Marburg, Heidelberg, Freiburg and Giessen had a higher proportion of single residents. 32.5 percent of residents were married or in a registered civil partnership. This figure is ten percentage points below the national average of 42.5 percent. The groups in the corresponding chart with a reference to "marriage" also include the equivalent from registered partnerships. For example, the category "Divorced" also includes people whose registered civil partnership has been dissolved.


The types of household considered in the 2022 census paint a similar picture: The chart below shows the percentage distributions of the different household types in Aachen and the German average. Households with marriages, registered partnerships and non-marital partnerships were grouped together in the "Partnership" category. The first thing that stands out here is the high proportion of single-person households. Here, Aachen is well above the national average. The highest value in the German comparison was found in Regensburg. However, at 58.6 percent, this is only around five percentage points above the Aachen figure. Aachen has the fifth highest proportion of shared flats - namely 6.2 percent. Only Tübingen with 7.0 percent, Heidelberg with 6.6 percent, Marburg with 6.4 percent and Giessen with 6.3 percent achieve higher values here.

All "Aachen in figures" articles can be found at www.aachen.de/statistik, under the heading "Aachen in figures".