The latest figures (as of December 31, 2019) make it clear: Cologne's population continues to grow. This year, too, the population grew by 0.2 percent to 1,091,819. This means that the growth trend of previous years is continuing, albeit at a slower pace.
This population increase is influenced by the influx and outflow of people with the right to reside in the city, as well as births and deaths in the city.
In 2019, 57,007 people decided to move to the cathedral city. On the other hand, 56,793 residents moved away from the city. This results in a net migration gain of 214, as experts call it. In addition, 11,338 children were born in Cologne last year. Compared to 9,789 deaths, this also results in a surplus, which has a positive effect on the growth rate with a balance of 1,549 people.
However, there are also developments among Cologne's residents that are not directly reflected in the city's population growth but are nevertheless significant for the overall picture: moves within the city continue to decline and fell to 65,000 in 2019. In the previous year, the figure was 68,000.
While almost one in five people moving out of the city center are moving to other parts of the city, most of those moving within the city walls are heading for residential areas in the outer parts of Cologne. Many residents, including 8,000 people of family-relevant age, went one step further last year and left Cologne to settle in neighboring regions.
With a development like this, it is not surprising that Cologne's city center is particularly attractive to newcomers aged 18 to under 30. The University of Cologne and numerous other further education opportunities have a significant influence on this. As a result, there was a net migration gain of 9,500 people in this age group last year. However, this is directly offset by an increasing out-migration from the same district of those of family-relevant age, i.e., those under 18 and between 30 and 45. In 2019, there was a negative migration balance of 6,344 for these age groups.
The figures recorded reflect the Cologne housing market and its tense situation quite well. The rising number of families moving away shows that the potential target area for these families is expanding further and further into the surrounding residential market regions. Among other things, the ever-rising rents could be a reason for this.
Apartments that were previously well suited for families, especially in areas such as Lindenthal or Nippes, now offer space for shared apartments, which are a solution for students moving to the city, particularly from a financial perspective. However, the trend will continue here too: as people's personal circumstances change and their need for more space grows, Cologne's city center locations and neighborhoods will become financially unviable for all but a few.
