How do Germany’s major cities fare when it comes to sustainability? As every year, IW Consult created the ranking in collaboration with the Internet portal Immobilienscout24 and Wirtschaftswoche. Surprise: There is a new frontrunner.
Heidelberg is the most sustainable city in Germany in 2023, displacing Wolfsburg from first place.
Photo: Panthermedia.net/sborisov
In the current study comparing the most sustainable cities nationwide, Wolfsburg has lost its top position from the previous year and is now in third place. This puts the city behind Heidelberg and Ingolstadt. The study, which covers 71 major cities, shows Herne, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen as the worst performers. The underlying sustainability index takes economic, ecological and social aspects into account. The study was published on November 16th.
Top 10 most sustainable cities
| Rang | City | Previous year |
| 1 | Heidelberg | 3 |
| 2 | Ingolstadt | 5 |
| 3 | Wolfsburg | 1 |
| 4 | Erlangen | 4 |
| 5 | Ulm | 2 |
| 6 | Freiburg i. Breisgau | 7 |
| 7 | Darmstadt | 8 |
| 8 | Stuttgart | 6 |
| 9 | Karlsruhe | 9 |
| 10 | Jena | 12 |
In the top 10, it is noticeable that 6 of the 10 most sustainable cities are located in Baden-Württemberg. The most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is not represented at all, perhaps precisely because so many people live there. The city regions of Aachen and Münster performed best here in places 14 and 16. At the bottom of the table are four Ruhr area cities: Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg, Herne and Oberhausen.
And how do Germany’s megacities fare? Oh well. Berlin finished in 55th place out of 71, Cologne in 53rd place and Hamburg in 44th place. The most sustainable metropolis in Germany is Munich in 17th place. The flags of the East are held high by Jena and Potsdam in 10th and 13th place. The least sustainable are Magdeburg and Halle (Saale) in places 56 and 49.
You can download the complete ranking here
Economics sub-area
| Rang | City |
| 1 | Heidelberg |
| 2 | Wolfsburg |
| 3 | Darmstadt |
| 4 | Ingolstadt |
| 5 | Stuttgart |
| 6 | Jena |
| 7 | Erlangen |
| 8 | München |
| 9 | Potsdam |
| 10 | Karlsruhe |
Like the overall ranking, Heidelberg leads the “Economy” section, with Wolfsburg and Darmstadt following in second and third place. The last three places are occupied by Oberhausen in 71st place, Herne in 70th place and Solingen in 69th place. As in the overall ranking, NRW cities are at the bottom of the table.
The most economical city with millions of inhabitants is Munich in 8th place, followed by Hamburg and Berlin in places 24 and 26. The last place among the cities with millions of inhabitants is Cologne, which has to be content with 42nd place. This means that the cathedral city is at least ahead of Düsseldorf in 44th place. Among the East German cities, Jena is again ahead at 6th and Potsdam at 9th. However, Erfurt in 63rd place and Halle (Saale) are not doing so well economically.
Ecology section
| Rang | City |
| 1 | Ingolstadt |
| 2 | Freiburg i.B. |
| 3 | Ulm |
| 4 | Heidelberg |
| 5 | Heilbronn |
| 6 | Wolfsburg |
| 7 | Kaiserslautern |
| 8 | Erlangen |
| 9 | Regensburg |
| 10 | Münster |
According to the study, the most ecological city in Germany is Ingolstadt, followed by Freiburg and Ulm. Cities from Baden-Württemberg also dominate here, as Heidelberg at 4th and Heilbronn at 6th are also represented in the top 10. The red lantern is carried by Duisburg in 71st place, Gelsenkirchen in 70th place and Mülheim an der Ruhr in 69th place.
When it comes to ecology, the German cities with a population of over a million are in the lower ranks, Munich is at 45, Hamburg at 54, Berlin at 65 and Cologne at 66. There are probably too many people living there and there is too much traffic. According to the ranking, the most ecologically friendly East German city is Rostock in 17th place. Erfurt is also in the upper midfield in 24th place. Jena and Magdeburg, however, do not do so well with places 52 and 51.
Social section
| Rang | City |
| 1 | Jena |
| 2 | Ulm |
| 3 | Heilbronn |
| 4 | Erlangen |
| 5 | Mainz |
| 6 | Heidelberg |
| 7 | Stuttgart |
| 8 | Münster |
| 9 | Karlsruhe |
| 10 | Ingolstadt |
When it comes to social components, Jena is the most sustainable city in Germany, followed by Ulm and Heilbronn in second and third place. A total of 5 cities from Baden-Württemberg are represented in the top 10. The last three places are taken by Gelsenkirchen, Bremerhaven and Duisburg.
Of the German cities with millions of inhabitants, Munich performs best, coming in 16th place. Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin are in the lower midfield in the “Social” area, taking places 41, 44 and 52. Along with Jena, Potsdam and Dresden are among the most social cities in the eastern federal states, taking places 12 and 14. Halle an der Saale and Chemnitz do not do so well with ranks 60 and 57.
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