Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Germany at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
59%
of electricity
Food imported
9%
of merchandise imports · ~US$141,324m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Germany.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Germany, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingNature
Flying insects down 76% in protected areas
A 27 year study at 63 nature protection sites in Germany found a 76% seasonal decline in flying insect biomass, and 82% in mid summer.
SoberingEnvironment
Nitrate too high at one in six wells
Since 2008, the groundwater nitrate standard of 50 mg per litre has been exceeded every year at about one in six monitoring points. The main cause is nutrient input from agriculture.
SoberingHealth
Three in ten adults drink heavily
Three in ten German adults reported heavy drinking at least once a month in 2019, the fourth highest share in the EU. In 2022, 30% of 15 year olds had been drunk more than once, against 18% across the EU.
SoberingHealth
Nearly one in five adults is obese
18.5% of German adults were obese in 2019, above the EU average of 16%. Only 24% of 15 year old boys ate vegetables daily in 2022, one of the lowest rates in the EU.
SoberingEnvironment
Air pollution linked to 30,000 deaths
An estimated 30,000 deaths in Germany in 2019, 3% of the total, were attributed to fine particulate matter and ozone exposure alone.
RemarkableCulture
Organ building is UNESCO heritage
German organ craftsmanship and music joined UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. UNESCO counts around 400 medium sized organ building workshops in Germany.
RemarkablePeople
Cooperatives are UNESCO heritage
The German practice of organising shared interests in cooperatives was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016. About a quarter of Germans are members of a cooperative.
RemarkableEnvironment
Over half the power is renewable
Renewables provided 55.1% of Germany's electricity consumption in 2025.
The History of Germany.
Germany's living heritage sits mainly in regional folk custom and a towering classical and choral music tradition. Karneval and Fasching processions, Bavarian Schuhplattler dance and Trachten dress, Volksmusik and seasonal festivals remain active parts of regional life.
Where the name comes from
Deutschland in German, from Proto-Germanic þiudiskaz, 'of the people'. 'Germany' comes from the Latin Germania. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: lowlands in the north, uplands through the centre, the Bavarian Alps in the south. Its high point is Zugspitze, 2,962 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Spears, flutes and a map of the sky
Wooden throwing spears preserved in a lignite mine at Schoningen were redated in 2025 to around 200,000 years old, and remain the most complete Palaeolithic wooden hunting spears yet found. The caves of the Swabian Jura produced carved ivory figures and a bone flute around 40,000 years old, including the Venus of Hohle Fels, one of the oldest known examples of figurative art anywhere. The Nebra sky disc, made around 1600 BC, is a bronze disc inlaid with gold showing the sun, moon and the Pleiades, among the oldest concrete depictions of the cosmos known anywhere.
How it got here
Printing, unification, and 1945
Germanic forces halted Roman expansion east of the Rhine in AD 9. Printing with movable type at Mainz around 1450 transformed the spread of knowledge across Europe, and theses posted at Wittenberg in 1517 began the Reformation. The German states were unified in 1871. Between 1933 and 1945 Nazi rule murdered six million Jews, alongside Roma, disabled people and others. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Germany was reunified in 1990.
The timeline
c. 300,000 years ago
The Schoningen spears.
Wooden spears left at Schoningen about 300,000 years ago, and found in 1994, are the oldest wooden hunting weapons known. Source
c. 43,000 to 33,000 years ago
Some of the oldest figurative art.
Six caves in the Swabian Jura have yielded carved figurines of animals, half-human creatures and a woman, along with musical instruments. They are among the oldest figurative art in the world. Source
c. 1600 BC
The Nebra sky disc.
A bronze disc showing the sun, the moon and stars, made about 3,600 years ago. It is the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known in the world. Source
AD 9
The Varus Battle.
Germanic warriors led by Arminius defeat three Roman legions in AD 9. After years of costly campaigns, Rome orders a retreat in AD 16 and gives up trying to conquer the land between the Rhine and the Elbe. Source
Mid-1450s
Movable type.
In Mainz, Gutenberg prints his Bible with individual pieces of metal type, helping change how information travels in Europe and later the world. Source
1517
The Reformation.
On 31 October 1517 Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses at the castle church in Wittenberg, launching the Reformation and a new era in the religious and political history of the Western world. Source
1871
Unification.
The German Empire is established on 18 January 1871, with the King of Prussia as German Emperor. Source
1933 to 1945
Nazi rule and the Holocaust.
Nazi Germany and its collaborators murder six million European Jews, and persecute and murder millions of other victims. Source
1989 to 1990
The wall and reunification.
The Berlin Wall falls in 1989 and Germany is reunified in 1990. Source
State Museum of Prehistory, Halle, Nebra Sky Disc · UNESCO World Heritage, Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura · Museum und Park Kalkriese, The Varus Battle · Forschungsmuseum Schoningen · US Office of the Historian, Germany · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Introduction to the Holocaust
Nature and Biodiversity in Germany.
The World Bank records 39.2% of German land and 45.3% of its seas as protected in 2025, reflecting extensive Natura 2000 sites and the Wadden Sea. Much of the terrestrial total is lightly-restricted Landscape Protection Area with mixed enforcement, so effective protection is weaker than the headline area suggests.
Is wild Germany protected? 39.2% of the land is, already past the 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Germany?
Forest cover32.68%
Terrestrial protected area39.2%
Marine protected area45.3%
104 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Low endemism; recovered wolves and lynx and Wadden Sea harbour and grey seals
The watchlist
ThreatenedCommon Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedVanellus gregarius Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedCommon thread turtle (Mauremys sinensis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Not native to Germany, and the handful of German records in GBIF are released pets and museum specimens rather than a wild population (turtle).
ThreatenedGwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) Not evaluated on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedNosferatu Dracula (Dracula nosferatu) Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedAnguilla anguilla Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (species).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Common Hamster (Cricetus cricetus)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Germany. GBIF holds 7 verified occurrence records.
Vanellus gregarius
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Germany. GBIF holds 2 verified occurrence records.
Common thread turtle (Mauremys sinensis)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Germany. GBIF holds 5 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Germany filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Bavaria, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Brandenburg, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Lower Saxony, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Saxony, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in North Rhine-Westphalia, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in Hesse, mapped and named in the open record for Germany. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Germany.
Germany draws most of its drinking water from groundwater and springs, backed by major rivers including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, and supply is tightly regulated under the Trinkwasserverordnung. The Joint Monitoring Programme records 99.9% of the population on safely managed drinking water in 2024 and tap water is safe nationwide.
Does Germany have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
99.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Tap water is safe for a visitor nearly everywhere.
Cleanest water: Königssee in Berchtesgaden National Park, and the Alpine lakes
How much fresh water does Germany have, per person?
1,286 m³
Germany
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Germany withdraws about 25,793 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 35.4% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as medium water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 4%, homes and towns 42%, industry 54%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Germany beaches?
✓Tap water: Drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: EU single-use-plastic ban since 2021; Pfand deposit-return on nearly all bottles and cans (2022) and dairy bottles (2024), at a 0.25 euro deposit.
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✓Marine protection: 45.3% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge is met.
Named on the open map: Scharbeutzer Strand, Badestrand Kellenhusen and Sehlendorfer Strand on the Baltic coast of Schleswig Holstein, Sellin Südstrand and Strand Altefähr on Rügen, Kringelstrand and Südstrand on Helgoland. That is 1,072 named beaches and bathing spots in the public record for Germany, under 711 different names, many of them on lakes and rivers, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
96.8%
of people have safely managed sanitation
96.8% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). That is close to universal coverage.
How is the sea around Germany doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Temperate; summers are mild-to-warm, winters cold enough for markets and ice.
Nearshore
Protected water
45.3% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Königssee in Berchtesgaden National Park, and the Alpine lakes.
The record
Measured
Germany draws most of its drinking water from groundwater and springs, backed by major rivers including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, and supply is tightly regulated under the Trinkwasserverordnung. The Joint Monitoring Programme records 99.9% of the population on safely managed drinking water in 2024 and tap water is safe nationwide.
Germany scored 76 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 53rd of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
45.3%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
104 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Germany?
99.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 1,286 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 4 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 35.4% of what Germany renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Germany? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Germany actually have?
Nature renews about 1,286 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Germany 68 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Germany.
Germany is a major agricultural producer, highly self-sufficient in cereals, dairy, pork and sugar, but a net food importer overall because most fruit and much vegetable supply is brought in. Product-level self-sufficiency (Selbstversorgungsgrad) figures are published by BLE and BMEL.
Where does the food in Germany come from?
9.2% imported
about US$141,324m a year
On the plate: Potatoes, rye and wheat breads, cabbage and sauerkraut, lentils, white and green asparagus (spring), apples and root vegetables
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$141,324m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
Food is 9.2% of everything Germany imports (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 0.9% of the economy and 47.5% of the land is agricultural, of which 33.4% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Germany? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined85%
Diabetes7.8%
The Robert Koch Institute reported in November 2025 that German hospitals carried out about 8,050 diabetes related major amputations, above the ankle, in 2023: 5,925 in men and 2,123 in women. A further 32,250 or so minor amputations, such as of toes, were linked to diabetes. After years of decline, the rate of major amputations in men rose by 6 per cent between 2020 and 2023, and the institute says Germany's major amputation rates are relatively high by international standards. Source: Robert Koch Institute.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 53.8%.
Can Germany feed itself?
33.4%
Arable land
47.5%
Agricultural land
466,431
Farmers
28,864,335
Arable acres
0.9%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Spargel (asparagus) April to June; apple and Rhine and Moselle grape harvest in autumn; Federweißer new wine in autumn
Feeding itself
Germany is a major agricultural producer, highly self-sufficient in cereals, dairy, pork and sugar, but a net food importer overall because most fruit and much vegetable supply is brought in. Product-level self-sufficiency (Selbstversorgungsgrad) figures are published by BLE and BMEL.
Certification
Eurostat records 11.2% of German agricultural land as organic in 2023, corroborated by FiBL and the BÖLW. Organic area has climbed steadily over the past decade.
Water for crops
Germany draws most of its drinking water from groundwater and springs, backed by major rivers including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, and supply is tightly regulated under the Trinkwasserverordnung. The Joint Monitoring Programme records 99.9% of the population on safely managed drinking water in 2024 and tap water is safe nationwide.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 47.5% of the country is agricultural land and 33.4% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
Sugar beetsWheatPotatoesBarleyMaizeRapeseedRyeTriticale
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Germany are sugar beet, wheat, potatoes, barley and maize (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy. In Berlin, the Ökomarkt am Kollwitzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg sells certified organic and regional food on Thursdays; the market on the Maybachufer in Neukölln runs on Tuesdays and Fridays with fruit, vegetables, olives, cheese and organic produce from Brandenburg; the Winterfeldtplatz market in Schöneberg runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays; and the market at Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain sells organic Brandenburg vegetables, tofu and cheese on Saturdays. The Brandenburger Bauernmarkt at Wittenbergplatz brings farm bread, cheese, mushrooms and Spreewald produce into the city. None of these is a farm shop we have checked ourselves, so confirm days before you go.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Lucky Leek, vegan restaurant in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg: plant based fine dining, set menus only; HAPPA, vegan restaurant in Berlin Kreuzberg: a seasonal three course menu; La Stella Nera, vegan pizzeria in Berlin Neukölln: wood fired Neapolitan pizza with cheese made in house; Comcha, vegan restaurant in Berlin Kreuzberg: North Vietnamese cooking; geh Veg, vegan café in Berlin Wedding: pancakes, bagels, cakes, soups and salads; Försters, vegan restaurant in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg: home style dishes such as schnitzel and meatballs, all plant based. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Germany?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
PotatoesRyeWheat breadsCabbageSauerkrautLentilsWhite
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiologisches Bulletin 46/2025: Diabetesbedingte Major- und Minoramputationen, zeitliche Entwicklung in Deutschland · Top10 Berlin, Top 10 vegan restaurants in Berlin (updated 22 October 2026) · Top10 Berlin, Top 10 Wochenmärkte in Berlin (updated 22 September 2026) · Berliner Zeitung, Das sind die 10 schönsten Wochenmärkte Berlins (market days, 21 May 2019)
Climate and Energy in Germany.
Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target. Yet it still burns hard coal and lignite (brown coal), and per person emissions remain mid range at 6.77 tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The 2011 nuclear phase out raised short term reliance on coal and gas, and the industrial economy keeps demand high. Progress on clean power is genuine, but the remaining coal in the mix and a rich, energy intensive economy hold the score in the middle band.
What powers Germany?
Renewable 59.1%Fossil 40.9%
Germany's high voltage grid is run by four transmission system operators: 50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT Germany and TransnetBW. The federal government, through the state bank KfW, already held 20 per cent of 50Hertz and 24.95 per cent of TransnetBW. On 3 July 2026 KfW completed the purchase of 25.1 per cent of TenneT Germany from the Dutch TenneT Holding for about €3.3 billion. TenneT Holding keeps 28.9 per cent, and investors APG, GIC and Norway's NBIM will hold up to 46 per cent, having committed up to €9.5 billion. The government says it now has a stake in three of the four operators. The Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) reviews and confirms the operators' grid development plan.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
6.94 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
15.22 tonnes
The grid
Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target. Yet it still burns hard coal and lignite (brown coal), and per person emissions remain mid range at 6.77 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.
Pollution
Germany pairs the EU single-use-plastics ban with a world-leading Pfand deposit-return scheme, extended to nearly all single-use bottles and cans in 2022 and to dairy bottles in 2024. Litter is low and population-weighted PM2.5 was 8.8 µg/m³ in 2023 (World Bank), below the level of 10.
Water stress
Germany draws most of its drinking water from groundwater and springs, backed by major rivers including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, and supply is tightly regulated under the Trinkwasserverordnung. The Joint Monitoring Programme records 99.9% of the population on safely managed drinking water in 2024 and tap water is safe nationwide.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.41.4%
2Industry Lignite (brown-coal) open-cast mining in the Rhenish area and Lusatia; Ruhr heavy-industry legacy.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.8.8
4On the record Germany pairs the EU single-use-plastics ban with a world-leading Pfand deposit-return scheme, extended to nearly all single-use bottles and cans in 2022 and to dairy bottles in 2024.
What has Germany promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2045
Electricity renewable today39.8% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target39.2% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target45.3% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2045, status: in law; in policy document; in political pledge. Measured against it, 39.8% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 60.2% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year6.94 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.9 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.79 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.68 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.6 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.15 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Germany emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. On 2 September 2020 the Finance Agency placed Germany's first green federal bond, a 10 year bond worth €6.5 billion, with orders of more than €33 billion. It is issued as a twin of an ordinary federal bond with the same terms, so investors can switch between the two. By the end of 2025 eight green federal securities worth €79.25 billion were outstanding, around 4 per cent of all federal securities.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · KfW, News from 2026-02-03: contract signed for federal stake in TenneT Germany · ESG Post, TenneT completes equity deals for German high voltage grid · Netzentwicklungsplan Strom (the four TSOs) · Finanzagentur, First Green Federal bond successfully placed (press release, 2 September 2020) · Finanzagentur, Outstanding Green Federal securities
AI and Data Centres in Germany.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Germany.
Data centres
328
Operational facilities, Cloudscene, July 2026.
Grid renewable
59.1 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Germany?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 59.1%Fossil 40.9%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 39.8% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Germany has at least 250 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Frankfurt (33), Hamburg (19), Berlin (15), alongside 58 internet exchanges (DE-CIX Frankfurt, MegaIX Munich, DE-CIX Hamburg, BCIX). Named sites include Digital Realty Frankfurt FRA1-27, ITENOS Frankfurt (FRA1), Equinix FR5 - Frankfurt, KleyerStrasse, Equinix FR7 - Frankfurt, Gutleutstrasse.
Where the cables land. 9 landing points · Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Markgrafenheide, Meersburg
Economy and Tourism in Germany.
68% residents to 32% visitors across a year. 39,563,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 83,491,249 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Germany
12,449k
Visitors a year
0.2
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Germany?· for every $100 Germany earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2010 peak
$ 81The worst year on the IMF record. Germany owed $81 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2010signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 65What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 74The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $74 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Germany earns in a year, it owes $65 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Germany?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 39,563,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 83,491,249 residents, one visitor a year for every 2 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Germany is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 9.2% of everything Germany imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugar beets, wheat, potatoes, barley, maize, rapeseed, rye, triticale, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
60.2% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the power leaves and the plate stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Germany owes $65 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$65 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, vehicles, is 17.4% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 17.4%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 3.5% of everything Germany makes from exports (2019, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
3.5% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 2.90 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.90 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$5,453 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$5,453bnGDPUS$5,050.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP0.9%
Visitors a year12,449,000
Visitors per resident0.2
Residents~83,491,249
Agriculture
Farming is 0.9% of the economy. Germany is a major agricultural producer, highly self-sufficient in cereals, dairy, pork and sugar, but a net food importer overall because most fruit and much vegetable supply is brought in.
Natural materials
Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist.
Energy
Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target. Yet it still burns hard coal and lignite (brown coal), and per person emissions remain mid range at 6.77 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Germany?
By rooms · company records and press.
Schloss Lieser · ~49 roomsIndependentnot published
Igloo Village Zugspitze · ~15 roomsCorporatenot published
Residence Inn Hamburg · ~44 roomsCorporatenot published
Sturm Bio Hotel Garden & Spa · ~42 roomsIndependentnot published
Guldsmeden Lulu · ~81 roomsIndependentnot published
Klosterhotel Wöltingerode · ~56 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
201534,970k
201635,555k
201737,452k
201838,881k
201939,563k
202012,449k
International tourism receipts run at about US$58.37 billion in 2019 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 3.5% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Germany, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking potatoes, rye and wheat breads, cabbage and sauerkraut, lentils, white and green asparagus (spring), apples and root vegetables over imported menus. The checked list
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Deutsche Bahn rail including ICE high-speed trains; the Deutschlandticket flat-fare regional and local pass (58 euros a month from 2025); very cycle-friendly cities
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
An eco heavyweight on recycling, deposit-return and renewables, with rewilded wolves and lynx and a world-leading vegan scene.
Best time: May to September for warm weather and festivals; December for Christmas markets
Getting around
Deutsche Bahn rail including ICE high-speed trains; the Deutschlandticket flat-fare regional and local pass (58 euros a month from 2025); very cycle-friendly cities
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is potatoes, rye and wheat breads, cabbage and sauerkraut, lentils, white and green asparagus (spring), apples and root vegetables. Everyday plant staples run from potatoes and an exceptionally deep rye and wheat bread culture to cabbage and sauerkraut, lentils, seasonal white and green asparagus and apples.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards widely accepted, cash still loved; EUR. Punctuality is cultural.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Schloss LieserIndependent · 49 rooms
Igloo Village ZugspitzeCorporate · 15 rooms
Residence Inn HamburgCorporate · 44 rooms
Sturm Bio Hotel Garden & SpaIndependent · 42 rooms
Guldsmeden LuluIndependent · 81 rooms
Klosterhotel WöltingerodeIndependent · 56 rooms
None of the 6 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Germany.
How well is Germany actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Germany scores 83 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Germany really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Deutsche Bahn rail including ICE high-speed trains; the Deutschlandticket flat-fare regional and local pass (58 euros a month from 2025); very cycle-friendly cities
Made in Germany.
Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Germany actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Germany sells the world is vehicles, 17.4% of all exports in 2023 (about US$300.06 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are machinery and mechanical appliances at 16.2%, electrical machinery and electronics at 11.3%, pharmaceuticals at 7.1%, optical, medical and precision instruments at 5.0%.
Made now · natural materials
Dirndl
Worked in Germany from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Lederhosen
Worked in Germany from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Still woven
Worked in Germany from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Worn at festivals. Flax
Worked in Germany from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Felt-making traditions also persist
Worked in Germany from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Could make · grown here already
Potatoes
Grown in Germany and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Wheat breads
Grown in Germany and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Cabbage
Grown in Germany and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Germany produces about US$5,051 billion a year, which is roughly US$60,496 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 0.9% of that, while food is 9.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 33.4% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Germany.
Folk dance
Dance groups across Germany keep regional folk dance alive to traditional regional music and local customs, and anyone of any age can join in.
Amateur music-making, from Volksmusik to jazz
About nine million Germans play an instrument, and amateur ensembles play everything from jazz and pop to church and folk music.
Late 18th centuryChoral music traditionAt least 60,000 amateur choirs are registered with the Federal German Choirs' Association, giving more than 300,000 concerts a year to about 60 million listeners.
15th centuryFrom 11 November, peaking in the days before LentKarnevalIn the Rhineland, people put on fools' masks and costumes, sing, and give rhyming carnival speeches that poke fun at politicians in the local dialect.
Does Germany protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Germany's living heritage sits mainly in regional folk custom and a towering classical and choral music tradition. Karneval and Fasching processions, Bavarian Schuhplattler dance and Trachten dress, Volksmusik and seasonal festivals remain active parts of regional life. The Sorbs, a Slavic minority in Lusatia, keep a distinct living language, dress and Easter riding traditions.
Who it belongs to. German tourism is strongly regional and driven by small businesses, spreading spending through family Pensionen, holiday flats, farm holidays and spa and Christmas-market towns. Village markets and regional festivals keep revenue local, though there is no Indigenous element.
Only here. The Autobahn, the only motorway network in the EU with no general speed limit on much of it, just an advisory 130 km/h.
The Future of Germany.
Three futures for Germany, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: craft bier bar (Hanover), Museum (ehemalig St. Laurentius) (Duisburg). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: ART Creativ Eismann, Arnold Fenster, Bastelstube, Beadmaker's Bench, Bilderrahmenwerkstatt Schacht, Conno Keramik.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 32.4% to 32.8% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 4.83% to 39.8% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 11.1 t to 6.94 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 14,847k to 12,449k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 37.9% to 39.2% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 3.17% to 1.07% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 45.5% to 45.3% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 49.7% to 47.4% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 80% to 82.1% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 21.2 µg/m³ to 8.81 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1,310 m³ to 1,286 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 50.2% to 53.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 31,747 to 60,496 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 81,678k to 83,491k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 2.3% to 17.6% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 4,120 kg to 2,874 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 38.9% to 40% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 76.4 yrs to 80.8 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 6,108 kg/ha to 6,790 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 238 kg/ha to 138 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 20% to 17.9% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 53.5 $/m3 to 145 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 9.76% to 12.3% across 24 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 113,270 km2 to 114,814 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 6,328 kWh to 6,060 kWh across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 90.45 to 54.59 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 202.5 to 107.16 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 413.4 to 214.98 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 955.48 to 560.5 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 42.25 to 23.18 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 156.76 to 87.79 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, wildlife at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift wildlife
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Germany's record. Germany is a genuine rewilding story: wolves recolonised from around 2000 and now range across the north and east, lynx have been reintroduced in several ranges, and beaver and European bison have recovered.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift natural fibres
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Germany's record. Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Germany's record. Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Germany.
Who is in charge of Germany now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Friedrich Merz
Chancellor
Friedrich Merz is the head of government of Germany, in office since 6 May 2025. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 86.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 85.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 81.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 83.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 69.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 69.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 85.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Unchanged from 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 76.4 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 78.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Friedrich MerzChancellor
Bundestag and BundesratLegislature, bicameral
Last election23 February 2025
Constitution1949, as revised to 2014
Government typefederal parliamentary republic
Germany national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
2045
Net zero
In Law<br>In Policy Document<br>In Political PledgeNet-zero target as recorded by Climate Watch. Status: In Law (5/5/2021)
In Policy Document (11/2/22)
In Political Pledge (5/5/2021, 5/14/2019) Source
In Policy Document (11/2/22)
In Political Pledge (5/5/2021, 5/14/2019) Source
Gases covered
All GHGs Covered Source
Sectors covered
All Sectors Source
International offsets
International Offsets Included Source
Plain Answers About Germany.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
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Is Germany sustainable?
Germany scores 75 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. An eco heavyweight on recycling, deposit-return and renewables, with rewilded wolves and lynx and a world-leading vegan scene.
Is the water in Germany safe and plentiful?
Germany draws most of its drinking water from groundwater and springs, backed by major rivers including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, and supply is tightly regulated under the Trinkwasserverordnung. The Joint Monitoring Programme records 99.9% of the population on safely managed drinking water in 2024 and tap water is safe nationwide.
Can Germany feed itself?
Germany is a major agricultural producer, highly self-sufficient in cereals, dairy, pork and sugar, but a net food importer overall because most fruit and much vegetable supply is brought in. Product-level self-sufficiency (Selbstversorgungsgrad) figures are published by BLE and BMEL.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Germany?
Everyday plant staples run from potatoes and an exceptionally deep rye and wheat bread culture to cabbage and sauerkraut, lentils, seasonal white and green asparagus and apples. Germany also has one of the world's strongest vegan movements, with Berlin a noted plant-based capital and Germany the largest plant-based retail market in Europe, worth 1.71 billion euros in 2025, even though traditional cuisine is meat-heavy.
How much of Germany is actually protected?
The World Bank records 39.2% of German land and 45.3% of its seas as protected in 2025, reflecting extensive Natura 2000 sites and the Wadden Sea. Much of the terrestrial total is lightly-restricted Landscape Protection Area with mixed enforcement, so effective protection is weaker than the headline area suggests.
What wildlife is left in Germany?
Germany is a genuine rewilding story: wolves recolonised from around 2000 and now range across the north and east, lynx have been reintroduced in several ranges, and beaver and European bison have recovered. National parks from the Bavarian Forest to the Wadden Sea protect seals, red deer and sea eagles, though endemism is low.
Is Germany on clean energy?
Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target. Yet it still burns hard coal and lignite (brown coal), and per person emissions remain mid range at 6.77 tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The 2011 nuclear phase out raised short term reliance on coal and gas, and the industrial economy keeps demand high.
How polluted is Germany?
Germany pairs the EU single-use-plastics ban with a world-leading Pfand deposit-return scheme, extended to nearly all single-use bottles and cans in 2022 and to dairy bottles in 2024. Litter is low and population-weighted PM2.5 was 8.8 µg/m³ in 2023 (World Bank), below the level of 10.
Does recycling work in Germany?
Eurostat records a municipal recycling rate of about 67% for 2024 and 68.7% for 2023, among the highest in the world.
Is the farming in Germany organic?
Eurostat records 11.2% of German agricultural land as organic in 2023, corroborated by FiBL and the BÖLW. Organic area has climbed steadily over the past decade.
Are there natural materials and craft in Germany?
Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist.
Is there living culture in Germany?
German tourism is strongly regional and driven by small businesses, spreading spending through family Pensionen, holiday flats, farm holidays and spa and Christmas-market towns. Village markets and regional festivals keep revenue local, though there is no Indigenous element.
What heritage does Germany keep alive?
Germany's living heritage sits mainly in regional folk custom and a towering classical and choral music tradition. Karneval and Fasching processions, Bavarian Schuhplattler dance and Trachten dress, Volksmusik and seasonal festivals remain active parts of regional life. The Sorbs, a Slavic minority in Lusatia, keep a distinct living language, dress and Easter riding traditions.
So is Germany actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 39.2%, sea protected at 45.3%.
What is not: renewable electricity at 39.8% against a 100% mark.
How Germany Ranks, region and world.
Where Germany sits on the Eco Index, against its Europe neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Germany compare in Europe?
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Portugal75
Scored Europe destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Germany sits 7 of 77 at 75/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Germany particularly good at?
✓ Conservation, scored 5/5. The World Bank records 39.2% of German land and 45.3% of its seas as protected in 2025, reflecting extensive Natura 2000 sites and the Wadden Sea. Much of the terrestrial total is lightly-restricted Landscape Protection Area with mixed enforcement, so effective protection is weaker than the headline area suggests.
✓ Pollution, scored 5/5. Germany pairs the EU single-use-plastics ban with a world-leading Pfand deposit-return scheme, extended to nearly all single-use bottles and cans in 2022 and to dairy bottles in 2024. Litter is low and population-weighted PM2.5 was 8.8 µg/m³ in 2023 (World Bank), below the level of 10.
✓ Recycling, scored 5/5. Eurostat records a municipal recycling rate of 66.9% for Germany in 2024 and 68.7% in 2023, the highest of any EU member state.
Where does Germany score worst?
✕ Wildlife, scored 2/5. Germany is a genuine rewilding story: wolves recolonised from around 2000 and now range across the north and east, lynx have been reintroduced in several ranges, and beaver and European bison have recovered. National parks from the Bavarian Forest to the Wadden Sea protect seals, red deer and sea eagles, though endemism is low.
✕ Natural fibres, scored 2/5. Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist.
✕ Energy, scored 3/5. Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target. Yet it still burns hard coal and lignite (brown coal), and per person emissions remain mid range at 6.77 tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The 2011 nuclear phase out raised short term reliance on coal and gas, and the industrial economy keeps demand high. Progress on clean power is genuine, but the remaining coal in the mix and a rich, energy intensive economy hold the score in the middle band.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Wildlife, 2/5
Germany is a genuine rewilding story: wolves recolonised from around 2000 and now range across the north and east, lynx have been reintroduced in several ranges, and beaver and European bison have recovered.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Germany's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Natural fibres, 2/5
Wool traditions remain living, above all Bavarian and Alpine Loden, the boiled and felted wool used for Trachten such as the Dirndl and Lederhosen, still woven and worn at festivals. Flax and felt-making traditions also persist.
Energy, 3/5
Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and solar now the largest sources, and it has legislated a 2045 climate neutrality target.
The Germany Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Germany, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Germany
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
32.8
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
39.2
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
45.3
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
39.8
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
6.9
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
104 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
81.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
82.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
85.1 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
69.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
86.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
69.9 / 100 · 6 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 6 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
61.9 / 100 · 11 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 11 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
67.7 / 100 · 9 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 9 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
74.4 / 100 · 22 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 22 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
100.0 / 100 · 1 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 1 of 177 countries assessed.
How Germany Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 88 sources across 35 institutions
World Bank16 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- PM2.5 mean annual exposure EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 1990 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
GBIF occurrence search8 FIGURES
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Germany in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered corroboration check
- Germany, IUCN category Critically Endangered corroboration check
Eurostat7 FIGURES
- Area under organic farming sdg_02_40, 2023 check
- Recycling rate of municipal waste cei_wm011, 2024 check
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Germany, 2018 (85.6%), country-reported check
- Recycling rate of municipal waste (dataset cei_wm011), Eurostat records a municipal recycling rate of about 67% for 2024 and 68.7% for 2023, among the highest in the check
- Recycling rate of municipal waste (dataset cei_wm011) corroboration check
- recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) check
- municipal waste by treatment operation (env_wasmun) check
Other published sources6 FIGURES
- Second to Spain; Spain 5.25m tonnes vs Germany 4.33m tonnes in 2025 (Eurostat) check
- Not Evaluated; Andrena bicolor is absent from IUCN Red List v2026-1, which carries 168 other Andrena species check
- paläon Forschungsmuseum Schöningen (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege), The Schöningen Spears, Wooden throwing spears preserved in a lignite mine are among the oldest complete hunting weapons in the world. check
- paläon Forschungsmuseum Schöningen (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege), The Schöningen Spears corroboration check
- paläon Forschungsmuseum Schöningen (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege), The Schöningen Spears corroboration check
- paläon Forschungsmuseum Schöningen (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege), The Schöningen Spears corroboration check
The Great Spa Towns of Europe5 FIGURES
- official site of the inscribed World Heritage property, Rich spa tradition: Baden-Baden and Bad Ems (UNESCO Great Spa Towns), Black Forest thermal baths, Wiesbaden an check
- official site of the inscribed World Heritage property corroboration check
- official site of the inscribed World Heritage property corroboration check
- official site of the inscribed World Heritage property corroboration check
- official site of the inscribed World Heritage property corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Germany, 2025 (80.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Germany, 2025 (79.6%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Germany, 2025 (79.9%), country-reported check
Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission3 FIGURES
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Germany, 2025 (32.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Germany, 2025 (68.4%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Germany, 2025 (28.9%), country-reported check
IUCN Species Survival Commission3 FIGURES
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1, 2nd edition 2012, Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Germany. check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1, 2nd edition 2012 corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1, 2nd edition 2012 corroboration check
Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)3 FIGURES
- Bruttostromerzeugung in Deutschland, data from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen, Germany has expanded renewables to about 60 per cent of public electricity generation in 2024, with wind and s check
- Bruttostromerzeugung in Deutschland, data from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen corroboration check
- Bruttostromerzeugung in Deutschland, data from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
FAO2 FIGURES
Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt2 FIGURES
UN Comtrade2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
Around 2001 FIGURE
- 000 years, redated May 2025 in Science Advances by amino acid geochronology check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Germany 1949 (rev. 2014) check
Federal Statistical Office1 FIGURE
- Germany, national statistical authority check
Fraunhofer ISE1 FIGURE
- Public Electricity Generation 2024, 2025 check
Hallmann et al.1 FIGURE
- PLOS ONE, more than 75 per cent decline in flying insect biomass, 2017 check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Germany, 2023 (21.2%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Germany elections and chambers check
IUCN Red List assessment for Pinus torreyana (Torrey pine)1 FIGURE
- Pinus torreyana range check
Largest European plant-based retail market1 FIGURE
- 1.71bn euros in 2025 (GFI Europe / Circana) check
Least Concern; Barbarea vulgaris R. Br.1 FIGURE
- IUCN Red List v2026-1 check
One of the oldest known examples of figurative art (Conard1 FIGURE
- Nature 2009) check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions country profile (Germany), 2024 check
Our World in Data / Ember1 FIGURE
- Share of electricity from renewables, 2024 check
Umweltbundesamt1 FIGURE
- German Environment Agency, national environmental authority for Germany check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNEP-WCMC1 FIGURE
- Protected Planet country profile (Germany) check
UNESCO1 FIGURE
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists check
World Bank / UNEP-WCMC WDPA1 FIGURE
- Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- Safely managed drinking water SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 check