Berlin is nearing the four-million mark: as of December 31, 2025, a total of 3,913,644 people were registered with their primary residence in the capital, according to the Berlin-Brandenburg Office for Statistics on Tuesday. This represents an increase of roughly 16,500 people, or 0.4 percent, compared with the previous year.

Growth is stronger in the east than in the west

Population growth varied significantly between the city’s districts. Ten of the twelve districts recorded gains, with Treptow-Köpenick seeing the strongest increase at 5,450 people (plus 1.8 percent), while Reinickendorf (minus 0.9 percent) and Steglitz-Zehlendorf (minus 0.2 percent) lost residents. Overall, according to the office, the eastern part of the city grew significantly faster (plus 0.9 percent) than the western part (plus 0.1 percent).

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According to the data, growth continues to depend mainly on immigration from abroad—although this was significantly lower in 2025. A total of 4,541 people from abroad were newly registered, compared to around 25,500 the previous year. The proportion of foreign nationals remained stable at 24.9 percent.

Population figures fluctuate sharply: Declines in Tegel, increases in Adlershof

In some areas, changes were much more pronounced. The office attributed this to regional factors such as shifts in refugee accommodations and new housing developments. The population declined most sharply in relative terms at the TXL site in Tegel (minus 52.2 percent)—including a 66.4 percent drop in the number of foreign nationals. Blankenfelde in Pankow recorded the largest decline in residents with foreign passports (minus 78.8 percent), with its total population decreasing by 13.1 percent.

On the other hand, the office reported increases in areas including Landschaftspark Adlershof (plus 27.2 percent) and Oberspree (plus 9.4 percent) in Treptow-Köpenick.

dpa/jcst