WIESBADEN (dpa-AFX) – Despite ongoing debates about housing shortages, people in Germany are enjoying increasingly spacious homes. By the end of 2024, the average apartment size had reached 94 square meters, with each resident having an average of 49.2 square meters of living space.
This marks a significant increase compared to ten years ago, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Since 2014, living space per person has grown by 2.7 square meters, while the average apartment size increased by 2.5 square meters. "Apartments in Germany have therefore become larger on average," the statisticians noted.
Higher Expectations, Larger Apartments
The trend toward more living space has persisted for decades – even as property prices have climbed. Back in 1991, people lived in apartments averaging just under 35 square meters per person, according to earlier figures from the statisticians. The steady upward trend is attributed to societal changes, greater affluence, and rising expectations.
Even though new construction has slowed due to higher interest rates and increased building material costs, the number of apartments continued to rise in 2024, the statistics show. By the end of 2024, there were approximately 43.8 million apartments in Germany – an increase of 0.5 percent, or 238,500 units, compared to the previous year. Over the past decade, 2.5 million new apartments have been added. More than half of all apartments (23.5 million) are located in multi-family buildings.
Demand for housing is especially high in cities, driving rents steadily upward. Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of apartments are still lacking across Germany. The Ifo Institute expects that only 205,000 apartments will be completed this year – about one fifth fewer than in 2024 (around 252,000).
