What is the most populous country in the European Union?

Germany is the most populous country in the European Union. Its population is roughly 84 million, placing it ahead of France, Italy, and Spain, the next most populous EU member states.

Germany's population is concentrated especially in the west and northwest, where major urban and industrial regions include the Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich areas. Berlin is the largest city and the national capital, but it is not the country's only major population centre.

The country's population has been shaped by both low birth rates and immigration. Germany has recorded more deaths than births for decades, so migration has played an important role in maintaining or increasing its total population. The age structure is consequently older than in many other parts of the world.

A frequent mistake is choosing France because it has a larger land area within Europe, or confusing the European Union with the wider continent. Russia is Europe's most populous country geographically, but it is not an EU member; Germany is the population leader within the EU itself.