Lower Saxony 2025: This is how the land of diversity lives and works!

Lower Saxony 2025: This is how the land of diversity lives and works!

In Lower Saxony, the second largest state in Germany, around 8.1 million people currently live on an impressive area of ​​47,600 km². The population density is around 170 people per km², below the national average, and the large cities such as Hanover, Braunschweig, Osnabrück and Oldenburg primarily shape urban life, while the rural regions are extensive and less populated. Loud Digital Daily Around 12% of the population do not have a German passport. The largest groups of foreigners come from Poland, Syria, Turkey, Romania and Afghanistan.

Lower Saxony has established itself as a stable business location with a gross domestic product of around 370 billion euros and a GDP per capita of around 46,000 euros. The unemployment rate is 5.4%, which is below the national average. The economic focus includes the automotive sector, particularly represented by Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, as well as agriculture, wind power, mechanical engineering and tourism on the North and Baltic Seas. The research landscape is also remarkable, with a strong focus on agricultural sciences, renewable energies and artificial intelligence.

Population and migration

Integration monitoring shows that the proportion of people with a migrant background in cities like Hanover is around 30%, while rural areas sometimes have less than 5%. Information on the population and demography can be found on the integration monitoring website of the state of Lower Saxony, which provides comprehensive data on population development and the living conditions of people with and without an immigration history, such as Integration monitoring Lower Saxony notes.

The Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Health and Equality has set itself the goal of promoting participation and equal opportunities for immigrants and their families. As part of this initiative, a well-founded database is provided for analysis and information about integration processes. It becomes clear that the living conditions of people with a migration background are often influenced not only by their immigration history, but also by many other factors that require further analysis, such as Statistics Lower Saxony describes.

Housing and quality of life

With regard to living conditions, rental prices in Lower Saxony vary greatly. In large cities they are between 10 and 12 €/m², while in smaller towns and rural areas rental prices can be found below 8 €/m². Interestingly, the ownership rate is increasing and is currently around 45%, especially in single-family home developments. Living in rural areas often requires a car, while cities such as Hanover, Oldenburg and Göttingen are well connected by public transport, making mobility easier.

But there are also shadows on the beautiful sides: the weather in Lower Saxony is changing noticeably. Temperatures are rising; the average annual temperature has increased by around 1.2 °C since 2005. This leads to more summer days above 30 °C and puts increasing strain on agriculture due to more frequent droughts. In addition, coastal regions are confronted with rising sea levels and stronger storms and heavy rain.

Lower Saxony thus impressively combines modernity and tradition, research and agriculture, as well as city and countryside. While economic stability and a high quality of life are valued in many areas, the challenges of demographic changes and climate change are just around the corner. It is important to find solutions together and further expand the country's strengths.