Berlin remains on a growth trajectory: as of 30 June 2026, 3,917,196 residents were registered in the capital according to the population register. This represents an increase of 3,552 residents, or 0.1 per cent, compared with to end of 2025. Particularly noteworthy from a property market perspective is that the strongest growth can be seen in areas where new residential neighbourhoods have been developed. This is evident from the latest population register statistics published by the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistical Office, which were covered last week by media outlets including rbb and the Berliner Sonntagsblatt. The figures thus confirm once again that Berlin remains a growing metropolis, despite the now more moderate pace of growth, and that new housing is meeting existing demand.
However, this growth is distributed very unevenly across the city. In the first half of 2026, Treptow-Köpenick saw a particularly marked increase, with 2,482 additional residents (+0.8 per cent), as did Spandau, with an increase of 2,417 people (+0.9 per cent). By contrast, the population fell by 1,020 people (-0.4 per cent) in Reinickendorf, for example, and by 987 people (-0.3 per cent) in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Population growth across Berlin is therefore currently driven primarily by specific submarkets.
Just how closely population growth and the creation of new housing are linked becomes particularly clear when viewed at an more local level. In Spandau, several planning areas with new residential neighbourhoods recorded exceptionally strong growth. In the Werkstraße planning area, the population increased by 29.4 per cent within half a year, and in the Zitadellenweg planning area by 21.9 per cent. The trend was particularly pronounced in Gartenfeld: there, the number of registered residents rose from just 13 at the end of 2025 to 603 by the end of the first half of 2026. At the same time, however, there were also planning areas within Spandau where population figures were declining.
This trend is relevant to the residential property market in two respects. On the one hand, the continued growth of the city as a whole underlines the long-term demand base of Berlin’s housing market. On the other hand, the significant differences between districts and individual neighbourhoods demonstrate how important it is to take a nuanced view of locations. It is precisely where new housing is being created and attractive new neighbourhoods are emerging that significant demographic changes can occur within a short space of time. The latest figures therefore underscore the importance of closely monitoring small-scale developments and to planned or already completed housing projects when making investment decisions.
The age structure is also interesting. Younger adults are particularly concentrated in inner-city areas. Across Berlin, 29.5 per cent of residents fall into the 27 to 44 age group. In certain planning areas, their share is considerably higher: at the planning area Wriezener Bahnhof in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg it stands at 59.7 per cent, at Boxhagener Platz at 50.7 per cent and on Heidestraße in Mitte at 52.4 per cent. Older age groups, by contrast, are more strongly represented in outer city districts. The statistics thus clearly illustrate the extent to which demand for housing within Berlin varies, partly reflecting differences in demographic structures.
The fact that Berlin continues to grow despite the current slowdown is, first and foremost, a positive sign for the residential property market. What is particularly noteworthy, however, is the above-average population growth in newly developed residential neighbourhoods. This clearly shows that people are moving to areas where new housing is being built. An adequate supply of housing is not only a social issue but also an important factor in Berlin’s economic competitiveness. Businesses depend on skilled workers, and if those workers cannot find suitable, affordable housing in Berlin, they may choose not to move to the capital. It is therefore all the more important to create better conditions for housing development and, in particular, to accelerate planning and approval processes,” says Jacopo Mingazzini, CEO of The Grounds.
