Profile ID:
SI-40360
City of Wilhelmshaven
Population:
75,745
(As of: Dec 31, 2024)
Employment rate:
58.2 %
(As of: Jun 30, 2025)
Homepage:
Facts & Figures
Population²:
| Total | Female | Male | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inhabitants: | 75,745 | 37,864 (50.0 %) | 37,881 (50.0 %) |
| As of: Dec 31, 2024 | |||
| Age structure: |
Population density²:
| Inhabitants/km²: | 707.2 | |
| As of: Dec 31, 2024 | ||
Economic strength²:
|
€ per inhabitant (City of Wilhelmshaven) |
National comparison (Germany=100 %) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product 2023: | 49,239 | 98 % |
|
€ per employed person (City of Wilhelmshaven) |
National comparison (Germany=100 %) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Gross value added 2023 | ||
| - Production sector: | 123,486 | 117 % |
| - Service sector: | 65,724 | 86 % |
|
€ per inhabitant (City of Wilhelmshaven) |
State comparison (State=100 %) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Net revenue from local business tax 2024: | 578.68 | 82 % |
| Municipal share of income tax 2024: | 445.52 | 84 % |
Employment³:
| Total | Female | Male | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed persons: | 30,523 | 13,865 (45.4 %) | 16,658 (54.6 %) |
| Change over previous year: | -282 (-0.9 %) | ||
| Employment rate: | 58.2 % | ||
| As of: Jun 30, 2025 | |||
| Employed persons acc. to economic sectors: |
| In-commuters | Out-commuters | Balance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commuters: | 13,029 | 9,638 | 3,391 |
| As of: Jun 30, 2025 | |||
Infrastructure
Educational institutions²:
| Schools of general education 2024 (City of Wilhelmshaven) | |
| Elementary schools: | 11 |
| Secondary schools (Oberschulen): | 4 |
| Grammar schools: | 2 |
| Integrated comprehensive schools: | 1 |
| Special schools: | 3 |
| Vocational schools 2024 (City of Wilhelmshaven) | |
| Vocational schools: | 2 |
| Vocational technical schools: | 1 |
| Technical secondary schools: | 1 |
| Vocational grammar schools: | 1 |
| Colleges: | 1 |
| Other educational facilities¹: | Jade University of Applied Sciences with 7,200 students, 4,500 of whom study in Wilhelmshaven Scientific institutions at the location are UL International GmbH / DEWI German Wind Energy Institute DZMB German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (ICBM-Terramare) Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research Senckenberg Research Institute Institute for Bird Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland" |
Health care¹:
| Hospitals: | 1 |
| Other medical health facilities: | - Wilhelmshaven Clinic - Rehabilitation Center - Median Clinic Wilhelmshaven |
| Links to health care: |
|
Leisure/culture/sport¹:
| Leisure facilities: | - Over 300 hectares of parkland area - Südstrand (South Beach) - Banter See (inland lake) - "nautimo" adventure swimming baths and sauna paradise - several shopping facilities - "Nordseepassage" (shopping mall) with a covered sales area of 28,000 square metres - "Wochenende an der Jade" annual port and city festival - tall ship race "Wilhelmshaven-Cup" - International Street Art Festival - "Kulturkarussell" ("Culture Carousel") - Festival of cabaret, vaudeville and variety acts - and many more |
| Cultural facilities: | - Deutsche Marinemuseum ("German Marine Museum") - Küstenmuseum ("Coastal Museum") - city settlement and urban history - JadeWeserPort InfoCenter - UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site Wadden Sea (Wattenmeer) Visitor Centre - Seawater aquarium - Kunsthalle ("Art Hall") - Municipal Theatre (Landesbühne Niedersachsen Nord) - "Pumpwerk" Cultural Centre - Theater am Meer (Niederdeutsche Bühne) - a theatre specialising in the Low German dialect - Botanic Gardens |
| Sport facilities: | - 18-hole golf course - Aquatics - Large number of sports clubs - NORDFROST Arena (handball) - Jade Stadium (soccer) |
| Special amenities on offer: |
|
Living space¹:
| Price of residential building land: | 65.00 - 150.00 €/m² |
Transport¹:
| Special infrastructurer: |
|
Location
Location description¹:
Wilhelmshaven is an independent city and regional center on the German North Sea coast.
Just under 80,000 people live in Wilhelmshaven and around 250,000 in the surrounding region.
In terms of infrastructure, Wilhelmshaven offers everything that is expected of a regional center: excellent medical care, all types of schools including a university of applied sciences, an attractive range of retail outlets, a distinctive cultural landscape, diverse leisure and sports facilities and last but not least: whether restored Wilhelmshaven buildings, modern residential properties in the city center or directly on the waterfront or new development areas in the countryside - there is a suitable residential offer for every taste.
Locals and guests alike appreciate the healthy North Sea climate, extensive parks and green spaces and the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea right on the doorstep.
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
- Germany's only deep-water port
- Germany's only deep-water container terminal
- Largest naval and Bundeswehr base ever
- Germany's most important import port for crude oil
Pipelines supply refineries along the routes to the Rhine-Ruhr region and Hamburg
- The chemical industry, 2 coal-fired power plants, the Wilhelmshaven bulk terminal for coal imports and the nearby offshore wind farms in the North Sea make Wilhelmshaven an important energy hub for Germany.
ECONOMIC STRUCTURE
- Port industry and logistics
- Maritime service industry, also offshore
- Maritime technology and software development
- Energy and chemical industry
- Food industry
- Metal processing
- Mobile crane construction and test center
DEEP-WATER CONTAINER TERMINAL AND FREIGHT CENTER
The EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven was built here because of the deep water (-18 meters at low tide!) and has been in operation since 09/2012. Even the latest generation of container carriers (>20,000 TEU) can call at Wilhelmshaven fully loaded at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is unique in Germany.
It is only 23 nautical miles from the open sea to the container terminal. Efficient handling facilities guarantee fast handling and mean further time savings for the shipping companies.
Eight container shipping companies currently have EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven in their schedules (the 2M Alliance of Maersk Line and MSC with partners Hamburg Süd and Hyundai Merchant Marine as well as the OCEAN Alliance with CMA-CGM, Cosco Group, OOCL and Evergreen).
Directly adjacent to the container terminal, fully developed areas are available in the freight village for the transport industry, distribution, wholesale, production and value-added services.
The hinterland connection via rail and road is optimal. A 6-track transshipment facility for combined transport links up with the Deutsche Bahn rail network via a siding group with 16 tracks in block train length. The BAB A29 highway leads directly to the terminal site, a paradise for truckers.
Just under 80,000 people live in Wilhelmshaven and around 250,000 in the surrounding region.
In terms of infrastructure, Wilhelmshaven offers everything that is expected of a regional center: excellent medical care, all types of schools including a university of applied sciences, an attractive range of retail outlets, a distinctive cultural landscape, diverse leisure and sports facilities and last but not least: whether restored Wilhelmshaven buildings, modern residential properties in the city center or directly on the waterfront or new development areas in the countryside - there is a suitable residential offer for every taste.
Locals and guests alike appreciate the healthy North Sea climate, extensive parks and green spaces and the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea right on the doorstep.
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS
- Germany's only deep-water port
- Germany's only deep-water container terminal
- Largest naval and Bundeswehr base ever
- Germany's most important import port for crude oil
Pipelines supply refineries along the routes to the Rhine-Ruhr region and Hamburg
- The chemical industry, 2 coal-fired power plants, the Wilhelmshaven bulk terminal for coal imports and the nearby offshore wind farms in the North Sea make Wilhelmshaven an important energy hub for Germany.
ECONOMIC STRUCTURE
- Port industry and logistics
- Maritime service industry, also offshore
- Maritime technology and software development
- Energy and chemical industry
- Food industry
- Metal processing
- Mobile crane construction and test center
DEEP-WATER CONTAINER TERMINAL AND FREIGHT CENTER
The EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven was built here because of the deep water (-18 meters at low tide!) and has been in operation since 09/2012. Even the latest generation of container carriers (>20,000 TEU) can call at Wilhelmshaven fully loaded at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is unique in Germany.
It is only 23 nautical miles from the open sea to the container terminal. Efficient handling facilities guarantee fast handling and mean further time savings for the shipping companies.
Eight container shipping companies currently have EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven in their schedules (the 2M Alliance of Maersk Line and MSC with partners Hamburg Süd and Hyundai Merchant Marine as well as the OCEAN Alliance with CMA-CGM, Cosco Group, OOCL and Evergreen).
Directly adjacent to the container terminal, fully developed areas are available in the freight village for the transport industry, distribution, wholesale, production and value-added services.
The hinterland connection via rail and road is optimal. A 6-track transshipment facility for combined transport links up with the Deutsche Bahn rail network via a siding group with 16 tracks in block train length. The BAB A29 highway leads directly to the terminal site, a paradise for truckers.
Collection rates¹:
| Local business tax: | 400 % |
| Local property tax A: | 410 % |
| Local property tax B: | 600 % |
Business promotion schemes¹:
The entire urban area of Wilhelmshaven is a C-funded area of the joint task "Improvement of the regional economic structure".
In addition, the entire urban area is part of the "More developed regions" funding area of the European Union's ERDF.
In addition, the entire urban area is part of the "More developed regions" funding area of the European Union's ERDF.
| Link to promotion info: | Local government promotion programme for SMEs http:/ |
Major companies¹:
| Company: | ALBA Metall Nord GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Scrap recycling |
| Link: | http:/ |
| Company: | Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-Marketing GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Marketing freight village |
| Link: | http://www.jadeweserport.de/standort-gvz/ |
| Company: | Onyx Power Wilhelmshaven power plant |
| Branch(es): | Coal fired power plant |
| Link: | https://www.onyx-power.com/de/ |
| Company: | Eurogate Containerterminal Wilhelmshaven GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Container terminal operator |
| Link: | http:/ |
| Company: | Firmengruppe Nietiedt |
| Branch(es): | Painting, scuffolding, surface protection, insulation, plasterwork |
| Link: | http:/ |
| Company: | GEW Wilhelmshaven GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Supplier gas, water, electricity |
| Link: | http://www.gew-wilhelmshaven.de |
| Company: | Greenland Seafood Wilhelmshaven GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Seafood Production |
| Link: | http://greenlandseafood.eu/en/ |
| Company: | HBV Holz- und Baustoff-Vertrieb GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Planing mill, specialist wood trader |
| Link: | http://www.hbv-wilhelmshaven.de |
| Company: | HIS Sicherheitsdienst GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Security services |
| Link: | http://www.his-sicherheitsdienst.de |
| Company: | Jade Dienst GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Diving, maritime services, port managment |
| Link: | http://www.jade-dienst.de/en/ |
| Company: | JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Infrastructure company |
| Link: | http://www.jadeweserport.de/nc/en.html |
| Company: | Manitowoc Crane Group Germany GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Mobile Crane assembly and test centre |
| Link: | https://www.manitowoccranes.com/en-GB |
| Company: | MWB Motorenwerk Wilhelmshaven GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Repair and maintenance of ships, boats and yachts |
| Link: | https://www.mwb-wilhelmshaven.de |
| Company: | Neue Jadewerft GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Shipbuilding and repair |
| Link: | http://www.neue-jadewerft.com/en/start.php |
| Company: | NORDFROST GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | deep-freeze logistics, seaport terminal |
| Link: | http://www.nordfrost.de/ |
| Company: | Nord-West-Oelleitung GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Crude oil handling, transfer, storage |
| Link: | https://www.nwowhv.de/c/index.php/en/ |
| Company: | Oldenburger Zahnradwerke und Maschinenbauanstalt Kurt Rust GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | manufacturing high-precision, demanding parts made out of high-alloy steel, titanium, aluminium and cast iron |
| Link: | https://zahnradwerk-rust.de/ |
| Company: | Rhenus Midgard Wilhelmshaven GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Seaport logistics, port agency, personnel recruitment, green liner |
| Link: | https://www.rhenus.com/de/de/ |
| Company: | SVG AG Unternehmensgruppe |
| Branch(es): | Security services, cash transports |
| Link: | http://www.eurosecurity-svg.de |
| Company: | THALES Defence Deutschland GmbH / Naval |
| Branch(es): | Software engineering and services |
| Link: | https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/europe/germany |
| Company: | Turbo-Technik Reparatur-Werft GmbH & Co. KG |
| Branch(es): | Ship repairs worldwide |
| Link: | http://www.turbotechnik.com |
| Company: | Ulmer Schokoladen GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Chocolate Manufaction |
| Link: | http://www.ulmer-schokolade.de/en/home.html |
| Company: | Uniper Kraftwerke GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Coal-fired power plant |
| Link: | https:/ |
| Company: | VYNOVA Wilhelmshaven GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Production of PVC, VCM |
| Link: | https:/ |
| Company: | Wessel-Hydraulik GmbH |
| Branch(es): | Machinery engineering |
| Link: | http://www.wessel-hydraulik.de/index_en.html |
Further information about resident companies:
REGISonlinehttp://regisonline.de/en/companies/search/
http://regisonline.de/en/companies/search/Map
Business Sites in this location¹:
-
Logistics parc Wilhelmshaven
../../../mn-gf/en/profile/GF-39474 -
Industrial site/ commercial property in the industrial estate Güterstraße in Wilhelmshaven../
../../mn-gf/en/profile/GF-42132 -
Güterverkehrszentrum (Freight Village) JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven../
../../mn-gf/en/profile/GF-39320 -
Wilhelmshaven-Preußenstraße 2../
../../mn-gf/en/profile/GF-56291
Properties in this location¹:
-
Industrial space / commercial property with halls and office building in Wilhelmshaven../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-42129 -
Banter See Business Forum../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-55478 -
Wilhelmshaven - Jade-Weser-Port | Logistics/industrial space on a high-potential site../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-67393 -
Attractive commercial space in the Wiesenhof../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-67466 -
Modern commercial space in a central location../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-68115 -
Commercial property for short-term development../
../../mn-gi/en/profile/GI-68397
Contact
Contact:
Stadt Wilhelmshaven
Rathausplatz 1
26382 Wilhelmshaven
26382 Wilhelmshaven
| Phone: | +49 4421 16 - 13 11 |
| Fax: | +49 4421 16 - 18 01 |
| Homepage: | http://www.wilhelmshaven.de |
| E-mail: |  |
Contact partner:
Mr. Carsten Feist, Lord Mayor
Phone: +49 4421 16 - 13 11
Ms. Elke Schute, Head of the Department of Economics and Regional Management
Phone: +49 4421 16-2303
E-mail:
| Sources: | ¹ | Own Survey (Last update on Nov 9, 2023) |
| ² |
LSNhttp://www.statistik.niedersachsen.de/ - Niedersachsen State Statistical Office, State Statistical Office of Bremen http://www.statistik.bremen.de/ (As of: date specified)
|
|
| ³ |
Statistics from the German Federal Employment Agencyhttp://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/ (As of: date specified), Note on Data Use http:/ |
|
| The statistical data have been updated to include the most recent available figures on May 13, 2026 |
