How many bookstores are there in Germany?
The B2B database of dieanalysten GmbH alone lists more than 6,500 bookstores in Germany (October 2026). Most are located in North Rhine-Westphalia (1,264), Bavaria (1,129), Baden-Württemberg (874).
Key figures
Bookstores by federal state
| State | Number | Share | per 100,000 inh. |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 1,264 | 19% | 7.0 |
| Bavaria | 1,129 | 17% | 8.4 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 874 | 13% | 7.7 |
| Lower Saxony | 608 | 9% | 7.5 |
| Hesse | 551 | 8% | 8.6 |
| Berlin | 433 | 7% | 11.2 |
| Saxony | 286 | 4% | 7.0 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 281 | 4% | 6.8 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 275 | 4% | 9.3 |
| Hamburg | 230 | 4% | 12.0 |
| Brandenburg | 136 | 2% | 5.3 |
| Thuringia | 125 | 2% | 5.9 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 123 | 2% | 5.6 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 84 | 1% | 5.2 |
| Bremen | 61 | 1% | 8.7 |
| Saarland | 57 | 1% | 5.8 |
| Germany | 6,532 | 100% | 7.7 |
Cities with the most bookstores
Digitalization
38% of bookstores have no website of their own. By state →
Frequently asked questions
How many bookstores are there in Germany?
The B2B database of dieanalysten GmbH alone lists more than 6,500 bookstores in Germany (October 2026). Most are located in North Rhine-Westphalia (1,264), Bavaria (1,129), Baden-Württemberg (874).
Which German cities have the most bookstores?
Berlin (432), Hamburg (233), Munich (205), Cologne (110), Stuttgart (92).
How many bookstores in Germany have a website?
62% have their own website, 30% an email address.
How current is this number?
It is recalculated daily from the current database. Last update: October 10, 2026. Businesses in liquidation or with a recognizable closure are not counted.
Cite this number
The B2B database of dieanalysten GmbH alone lists more than 6,500 bookstores in Germany (source: dieanalysten B2B database, October 2026, https://adressen.dieanalysten.com/en/statistics/bookstores).
The statistics are licensed under CC BY 4.0: free to use, including commercially, with attribution “dieanalysten” and a link.
Method: businesses in the database of dieanalysten GmbH minus a 5% safety margin; businesses in liquidation or with a recognizable closure are excluded. See methodology. As of October 10, 2026.