Settlement and urban areas

Slight slowdown in settlement growth

With an area of 3271 km² and a share of 8% of the national area, settlement and urban areas represent the smallest, but also the fastest growing part of the four main categories. They are composed of industrial and commercial areas, building areas, transportation areas, special urban areas and recreational areas and cemeteries.
Between 1985 and 2018, settlement and urban areas nationwide expanded by almost a third. Residential areas grew by as much as 61%, twice as fast as the population. However, settlement growth has slowed somewhat over the last three decades.

Further information

Data

Maps

Statatlas - the landuse statistics in maps

Graphs

Publications

Statistical sources and concepts

Surveys (German)

Nomenclatures (German)