How far — and how long — Germans travel to work
Hey there! This is David, co-CEO at Datawrapper. Our recent move to a new office inspired me to look at a truly everyday topic — commuting distances.
A few weeks ago, we moved to a new office here at Datawrapper. For me, that meant my daily commute shrank from an already short five kilometers to just one. I knew I was lucky — but it made me wonder: what’s a “normal” commute around here, anyway?
If we look at commute times, the answer is surprisingly positive. According to a survey from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, 67% of Germans spend 30 minutes or less traveling to work:
About a quarter need between 30 and 60 minutes, and just 7% commute for more than an hour. That sounds manageable.
For those who don’t work in the same city or district they live in — this applies to about 60% of all workers in Germany — the situation can be different. Distance-wise, they commute about 17 kilometers on average:
The regional contrasts are clear: In Märkisch-Oderland, a district just east of Berlin, commutes average more than 27 km. In Emden, on the North Sea coast, the average is under 10 km.
Why the difference? Geography and local economies. In rural areas surrounding big cities, people often travel into city centers for work, leading to long commutes. In towns with local industry, many workers can find jobs nearby. So while my new 1 km trip to the office gives me more time for coffee in the morning, the data shows that commuting remains a significant part of everyday life for most Germans.
That’s it for this week’s Weekly Chart! Next week you’ll hear from our co-founder Gregor.
