Bevölkerung
/bəˈfœlkəʁʊŋ/feminine
The English phrase population is translated into German as Bevölkerung.
Bevölkerung refers to all people living within a political or geographical boundary. It is the most commonly used term for population in German.
Meaning: all people living within a political or geographical boundary (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Bevölkerung is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/bəˈfœlkəʁʊŋ/
Did you know?
- The word Volk shares a prehistoric root with the English word 'folk'. Although Bevölkerung is the formal translation for population, the kinship between these two words survives in the German root.
- German has a specific term, Einwohner, used for the 'population' of a city. While Bevölkerung describes the collective mass, Einwohner literally means 'in-dwellers' and is used when counting individuals.
- In historical texts, the word Volkszählung is used for a population census. It literally translates to 'people-counting', reflecting a more direct approach to naming the process than the English 'census'.
Examples in context
- Die algerische Bevölkerung wächst.The Algerian population is growing.This sentence shows how to describe the growth of the Algerian Bevölkerung.Tatoeba #10399268 by wannieh, translation #10096364 by Amastan
- Die Bevölkerung dieser Stadt wächst.The population of this city is on the increase.This sentence is useful for describing how the Bevölkerung of a city is increasing.Tatoeba #449616 by al_ex_an_der, translation #57691 by CM
- Wie groß ist die Bevölkerung Japans?What is the population of Japan?This sentence demonstrates how to ask about the size of the Bevölkerung of a country.Tatoeba #449662 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #281429 by CN
- Die Bevölkerung Deutschlands beträgt ungefähr 82 Millionen.The population of Germany is approximately 82 million.
- 110 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are discussing a news report about urban planning.
- JuliaDie Bevölkerung hier ist sehr jung.The population here is very young.
- MaximilianJa, das ist ein großer Vorteil.Yes, that is a big advantage.
- JuliaAber die Bevölkerung braucht mehr Infrastruktur.But the population needs more infrastructure.
- MaximilianDa hast du absolut recht, Julia.You are absolutely right, Julia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “population” translations and entries Bevölkerung, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
