Car ownership has risen by 12% since the year 2009

In the realm of transportation, Germany has seen a significant shift in the past decade. Let's delve into the changing landscape of passenger cars and public transport across the country.

Germany, as a whole, has witnessed an increase in the number of passenger cars. From 41.3 million in 2009, the total number rose to nearly 47.1 million in 2019, marking a 14% growth. However, the density of cars per 1,000 inhabitants varies significantly across the country.

Hamburg, for instance, had a higher density than Bremen but fell short of the national average, with 434 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Bavaria, on the other hand, boasted the third-highest density in 2019, with 613 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Saarland led the pack with an impressive 640 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Interestingly, Berlin, despite being part of the east, had the fewest cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2019, with 335.

The western federal states generally showed a higher density of passenger cars compared to the eastern states, with Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria following closely behind Saarland. However, it's worth noting that Berlin, classified as part of the east, showed particularly strong growth in public transport usage, with a 24.6% increase.

While the western federal states demonstrated higher growth rates in passenger car density compared to the growth in public transport usage, the opposite was true in the eastern states. Here, the number of people using public transport grew more strongly than the density of passenger cars in the same region. For instance, in the other eastern federal states, growth in public transport usage was only 1.6%.

The growth in public transport usage in the western federal states was lower than the growth in passenger car density in the same region. This trend was evident until the beginning of 2025, when Berlin experienced a notable decrease in the number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants, marking even a decrease compared to previous years. Berlin now has the lowest car density among German city-states at 334 cars per 1,000 inhabitants.

From 1995 to 2019, the length of the road network for local traffic in Germany grew by around 1,200 kilometers to 230,000 kilometers (+0.5%). Despite this expansion, the number of people transported by bus and train increased by 8% from 10.6 billion in 2010 to 11.4 billion in 2019.

In conclusion, while the number of passenger cars in Germany has grown, the trend towards public transport usage, particularly in Berlin and the eastern states, is a promising sign for sustainable mobility in the future.