State of Germany
Hesse
Hesse is a state of Germany. It covers about 21,000 km² (8,110 mi²), the 7th largest of the 16 states in Natural Earth’s file for Germany, and about the same size as El Salvador. About 6.2 million people live there (Wikidata, 2022).
50 km
- Hesse
- El Salvador
Facts
| Area, measured | 21,000 km²8,110 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 21,100 km²Wikidata · agrees with our measure |
| Share of Germany | 5.9%of the area of the 16 states |
| Rank by area | 7th of 16states of Germany |
| Population | 6.2 millionWikidata, 2022 · the census year of every unit |
| Density | 295 people per km² |
| Capital | Wiesbaden |
| Latitude range | 49°N to 52°N |
| Type | StateDE-HE |
What the numbers say about Hesse
- Hesse covers 5.9% of the area of Germany and ranks 5th of 16 by population, against 7th by area.
- It would take 17.0 states the size of Hesse to cover Germany.
- Hesse holds 7.5% of the 83.0 million people that Wikidata’s 2022 figures give for the 16 states together: about 1 in 13.
- The largest, Bavaria, is 3.33× the size of Hesse; the smallest, Bremen, is 1.8% of it.
- Closest in size within Germany: Saxony-Anhalt (20,700 km², 1.02×) and Rhineland-Palatinate (20,100 km², 1.05×).
- Counted as a country, Hesse would be larger than 87 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 153rd by area, between Djibouti (21,800 km²) and El Salvador (20,500 km²).
- With 6.2 million people it would rank 111th of 238 by population.
- Hesse has 295 people per km², about the density of El Salvador, which has 294 per km².
- That makes Hesse the 7th most densely populated of the 16 states, 1.27× the average for Germany (232 per km²).
- On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 51°N is drawn about 2.5× too large in area, so Hesse looks bigger there than it is.
- Laid out flat, Hesse stretches about 251 km north to south and 174 km east to west.
- Wikidata's official figure of 21,100 km² agrees with our measured area of 21,000 km², to within 2%.
About the same size as
Beside the regions of other countries
The closest region by area and by people in each of the other countries that have regional pages here, within a factor of 2. All 395 regions side by side.
- ChinaAreaBeijing1.29× · 16,300 km²PeopleQinghai1.05× · 5.9 million (2020)
- United StatesAreaMassachusetts0.99× · 21,200 km²PeopleMaryland1.00× · 6.2 million (2020)
- IndiaAreaMizoram0.99× · 21,200 km²PeopleHimachal Pradesh0.90× · 6.9 million (2011)
- FranceAreaBrittany77% · 27,300 km²PeopleNouvelle-Aquitaine1.02× · 6.1 million (2022)
- ItalyAreaEmilia-Romagna0.93× · 22,500 km²PeopleLazio1.06× · 5.9 million (2019)
- SpainAreaValencian Community0.90× · 23,300 km²PeopleCommunity of Madrid89% · 7.0 million (2024)
- JapanAreaIwate1.36× · 15,500 km²PeopleChiba0.99× · 6.3 million (2021)
- BrazilAreaSergipe0.97× · 21,600 km²PeopleMaranhão0.92× · 6.8 million (2022)
- CanadaAreanone within 2×PeopleBritish Columbia1.24× · 5.0 million (2021)
- AustraliaAreanone within 2×PeopleQueensland1.10× · 5.6 million (2024)
- MexicoAreaHidalgo0.99× · 21,300 km²PeoplePuebla1.01× · 6.2 million (2015)
- ThailandAreaNakhon Ratchasima1.01× · 20,800 km²PeopleBangkok1.09× · 5.7 million (2018)
Where Hesse sits in Germany
All 16 drawn on one equal-area map, so sizes are comparable. Select another to open it.
Compare Hesse
- Missouri vs Hesse
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine vs Hesse
- Puebla vs Hesse
- Maryland vs Hesse
- State of Mexico vs Hesse
- Manipur vs Hesse
- Sergipe vs Hesse
- Hidalgo vs Hesse
- Mizoram vs Hesse
- Massachusetts vs Hesse
- Hesse vs El Salvador
- Hesse vs Slovenia
- Belgium vs Hesse
- Netherlands vs Hesse
- Republic of the Congo vs Hesse
- Denmark vs Hesse
- Finland vs Hesse
- Hesse vs Beijing
- Valencian Community vs Hesse
- Brittany vs Hesse
- Hesse vs Iwate
- Emilia-Romagna vs Hesse
- Hesse vs Nakhon Ratchasima
- Hesse vs Chiba
Share this outline
Sources and method
- Outline
- Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain
- Boundary
- De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
- Area
- Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outline, shown rounded. The region’s whole area is counted, every island included.
- Official figures
- Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-12
- Population
- Wikidata, 2022. Germany’s units share the 2022 figures where Wikidata has them; the year is shown wherever the figure is.
- Matching
- Countries come from Natural Earth’s country file. Places whose status is contested and dependencies are never used as automatic matches. A region under 2,500 km² is matched against the small countries and island nations.
- Data built
- 2026-11-12