Baden-Württemberg is, after Bavaria and Lower Saxony, the third biggest of the German States. A population of around 11.7 million people lives on an area of 35,751 square kilometers. Winfried Kretschmann has been Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg since May 2011.
Located in Germany’s Southwest corner and neighbour to France in the west and to Austria and Switzerland via the Lake Constance, Baden-Württemberg lies at the very heart of Europe. Both on the European level – for instance within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region or the Four Motors for Europe – and in its partnerships beyond the borders of Europe, Baden-Württemberg is revered as a reliable partner willing to take on the challenges of globalization with new ideas.
Baden-Württemberg is poor in natural resources, but its population is overflowing with ideas, inventive spirit and an appetite for hard work. The creativity and ingenuity of its people, their skill and expertise, their commitment to industry, science, education, culture and society have made Germany’s Southwest one of the world‘s most successful regions. Furthermore, Baden-Württemberg is one of the leading economic regions not only in Germany but also in Europe: Home to internationally renowned corporations and thousands of successful small and medium-sized enterprises, known for its innovative drive and inventive spirit, with a high level of productivity and low unemployment. Baden-Württemberg’s economic strength, gauged by its per-capita gross domestic product is continuously higher than the German average (47,290 Euro in 2019) and also with its high investment in research and development, Baden-Württemberg has a leading role in Germany as well as in Europe.
All of these benefits mean that Baden-Württemberg enjoys not only above-average growth rates and high work productivity, but also a sustainably low unemployment quota. While the proportion of men and women aged between 15 and 64 in gainful employment is well above the EU average in Baden-Württemberg (90.2 percent in 2020), the opposite applies to the number and quota of unemployed members of the population: Baden-Württemberg’s unemployment figures are regularly well below the average figures for Germany as a whole (4.5 percent in 2021).
For more information, please visit: www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/en