How many companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry are there in Germany?
The B2B database of dieanalysten GmbH alone lists more than 36,500 companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry in Germany (October 2026). Most are located in North Rhine-Westphalia (8,348), Bavaria (6,178), Baden-Württemberg (4,379).
Key figures
Companies by federal state
| State | Number | Share | per 100,000 inh. |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,348 | 23% | 46.0 |
| Bavaria | 6,178 | 17% | 46.2 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 4,379 | 12% | 38.8 |
| Lower Saxony | 3,468 | 9% | 42.6 |
| Hesse | 2,802 | 8% | 43.8 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 1,677 | 5% | 40.3 |
| Hamburg | 1,551 | 4% | 81.2 |
| Saxony | 1,543 | 4% | 37.7 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1,535 | 4% | 51.9 |
| Brandenburg | 1,081 | 3% | 42.1 |
| Thuringia | 963 | 3% | 45.2 |
| Berlin | 920 | 2% | 23.7 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 910 | 2% | 41.6 |
| Bremen | 619 | 2% | 88.4 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 587 | 2% | 36.0 |
| Saarland | 356 | 1% | 36.0 |
| Germany | 36,951 | 100% | 43.7 |
Cities with the most companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry
Digitalization
62% of companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry have no website of their own.
Related industries
- Freight transport71,510
- Logistics service provider19,814
- Passenger transport16,488
- Taxi operator11,440
- Shipping and ferry service5,946
- Courier service5,399
- Container service2,292
- Local public transport company4,527
- Shipping company4,364
- Warehousing4,095
- Bus company3,668
- Airline3,329
- Small-scale transport3,197
- Patient transport and driving service1,426
- Heavy and special transport2,128
- International freight transport1,852
Frequently asked questions
How many companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry are there in Germany?
The B2B database of dieanalysten GmbH alone lists more than 36,500 companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry in Germany (October 2026). Most are located in North Rhine-Westphalia (8,348), Bavaria (6,178), Baden-Württemberg (4,379).
Which German cities have the most companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry?
Hamburg (1,710), Berlin (901), Bremen (524), Munich (481), Cologne (417).
How many companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry in Germany have a website?
38% have their own website, 22% 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 36,500 companies in the “Freight forwarding” industry in Germany (source: dieanalysten B2B database, October 2026, https://adressen.dieanalysten.com/en/statistics/freight-forwarding).
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.