Editing Hesse (section)

== Demographics ==
{{See also|List of cities in Hesse by population}}
{{historical populations|13=1950|14=4343720|15=1955|16=4577198|17=1960|18=4783352|19=1965|20=5170449|21=1970|22=5424529|23=1975|24=5549823|25=1980|26=5601031|27=1985|28=5529413|29=1990|30=5763310|31=1995|32=6009913|33=2001|34=6077826|35=2011|36=5971816|37=2022|38=6207278|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref name="StatistikHessen">{{Cite web|url=https://statistik.hessen.de/zahlen-fakten/bevoelkerung-gebiet-haushalte-familien/bevoelkerung/tabellen|title=Tabellen Bevölkerung|date=18 September 2017|website=Statistik.Hessen|access-date=12 May 2018|archive-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129080658/https://statistik.hessen.de/zahlen-fakten/bevoelkerung-gebiet-haushalte-familien/bevoelkerung/tabellen|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Germany: States and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/|access-date=18 July 2024|archive-date=1 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901193530/https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Significant foreign resident populations<ref>[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung2010200147004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205151/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung2010200147004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile|date=3 March 2016}} 31 December 2014 German Statistical Office. 
[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung.html ''Zensus 2014: Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2014''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115000511/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung.html|date=15 November 2016}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Nationality
! scope="col" style="max-width:5em;" | Popul{{shy}}ation (31 Dec{{shy}}ember 2022)
! scope="col" style="max-width:5em;" | Popul{{shy}}ation (31 Dec{{shy}}ember 2023)
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}} || 160,250 || 166,885
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}} || 88,075 || 95,915
|-
| {{flag|Romania}} || 82,025 || 83,510
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || 83,760 || 79,530
|-
| {{flag|Italy}} || 76,155 || 73,990
|-
| {{flag|Syria}} || 60,365 || 62,655
|-
| {{flagcountry|Islamic Republic of Afghanistan}} || 49,650 || 62,260
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}} || 58,640 || 56,220
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} ||53,300 || 55,690 
|-
| {{flag|Greece}} || 40,655 || 36,285
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}} ||32,865 || 33,835
|-
| {{flag|Spain}} || 29,340 || 29,465
|-
| {{flag|India}} || 24,415 || 27,910
|-
| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} || 25,645 || 26,665
|-
| {{flag|Russia}} || 20,470 || 22,115
|-
| {{flag|Morocco}} || 21,830 || 21,255
|-
| {{flag|Pakistan}} || 18,725 || 19,925
|-
| {{flag|Eritrea}} || 19,695 || 18,685
|-
|}
Hesse has a population of over 6&nbsp;million,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statistik-bw.de/Statistik-Portal/de_zs01_he.asp|title=Gemeinsames Datenangebot der Statistischen Ämter des Bundes und der Länder|last=Baden-Württemberg|first=Statistisches Landesamt|website=www.statistik-bw.de|language=de|access-date=12 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612213024/http://statistik-bw.de/Statistik-Portal/de_zs01_he.asp|archive-date=12 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> nearly 4&nbsp;million of which is concentrated in the Rhein-Main region (German: ''Rhein-Main Gebiet'') in the south of the state, an area that includes the most populous city, [[Frankfurt am Main]], the capital [[Wiesbaden]], and [[Darmstadt]] and [[Offenbach am Main|Offenbach]].<ref name="StatistikHessen"/> The population of Hesse is predicted to shrink by 4.3% by 2030, with the biggest falls in the north of the state, especially in the area around the city of [[Kassel]]. Frankfurt is the fastest growing city with a predicted rise in population of 4.8% by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistik-hessen.de/publikationen/download/30/index.html|title=Bevölkerung in Hessen 2060 – Regionalisierte Bevölkerungsvorausberechnung für Hessen bis 2030 Basisjahr: 31.12.2014|website=www.statistik-hessen.de|access-date=12 May 2018|archive-date=6 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506135731/http://www.statistik-hessen.de/publikationen/download/30/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Frankfurt's growth is driven by its importance as a financial centre and it receives immigrants from all over the world: in 2015 over half of the city's population had a [[migration background]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/frankfurt-population/|title=Frankfurt Population 2018 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)|website=worldpopulationreview.com|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=13 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513152117/http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/frankfurt-population/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Vital statistics ===
Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=Bevölkerung |url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung |website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder |access-date=7 August 2018 |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015609/https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Births January–March 2017 = {{increase}} 14,537
*Births January–March 2018 = {{decrease}} 14,202
*Deaths January–March 2017 = {{increasenegative}} 19,289
*Deaths January–March 2018 = {{decreasepositive}} 18,831
*Natural growth January–March 2017 = {{decrease}} −4,752
*Natural growth January–March 2018 = {{increase}} −4,629

=== Language ===

Three different languages or dialect groups are spoken in Hesse: The Far North is part of the [[Low German|Low Saxon]] language area, divided into a tiny [[Eastphalian language|Eastphalian]] and a larger [[Westphalian language|Westphalian]] dialect area. Most of Hesse belongs to the [[West Middle German]] dialect zone. There is some disagreement as to whether all Hessian dialects south of the [[Benrath line]] may be subsumed under one dialect group: Rhine Franconian, or whether most dialects should be regarded as a dialect group of its own: Hessian, whereas only South Hessian is part of Rhine Franconian. Hessian proper can be split into Lower Hessian in the north, East Hessian in the East around [[Fulda]] and Central Hessian, which covers the largest area of all dialects in Hesse. In the extreme Northeast, the [[Thuringian]] dialect zone extends into Hesse, whereas in the Southeast, the state border to [[Bavaria]] is not fully identical to the dialect border between [[East Franconian]] and East Hessian.

Since approximately World War II, a spoken variety of [[Standard German]] with dialect substrate has been superseding the traditional dialects mentioned so far. This development knows a north-to-south movement, the north being early to supplant the traditional language, whereas in the south, there is still a considerable part of the population that communicates in South Hessian. In most of the areas, however, the traditional language is close to extinction, whereas until the first half of the 20th century, almost the entire population spoke dialect in almost all situations. The Upper Class started to speak Standard German beginning in the late 19th century, so for decades, the traditional language served as a sociolect.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The prominent written language in Hesse has been Standard German since the 16th century. Before, the Low Saxon part used [[Middle Low German]], the rest of the Land [[Early Modern German]] as prominent written languages. These had supplanted [[Latin]] in the [[High Middle Ages]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

=== Religion ===

[[File:Fulda - Stadtpfarrkirche St. Blasius.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|View of the Stadtpfarrkirche St. Blasius in [[Fulda]] ]]

In 2016 [[Christianity]] was the most widespread religion in the state (63%).<ref name="soziales.hessen.de">{{cite web|url=https://soziales.hessen.de/sites/default/files/media/hsm/religionsstudie_2017_endversion_pdf.pdf|title=Eine Umfrage zu Religiosität, religionsbezogener Toleranz und der Rolle der Religion in Hessen 2017|publisher=Hessisches Ministerium für Soziales und Integration|language=de|website=soziales.hessen.de|access-date=2 May 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502113738/https://soziales.hessen.de/sites/default/files/media/hsm/religionsstudie_2017_endversion_pdf.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, 40% of Hessians belonged to the [[Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau]] or [[Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck]] (members of the [[Protestant Church in Germany]]), 25% adhered to the [[Roman Catholic Church]], while other Christians constituted some 3%; the next most common religion of the Hessian population was [[Islam]], adhered to by 7%.<ref name="Religionszugehörigkeit der Deutschen nach Bundesländern im Jahr 2011">{{Cite web|url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/201622/umfrage/religionszugehoerigkeit-der-deutschen-nach-bundeslaendern/|title=Religionszugehörigkeit nach Bundesländern in Deutschland|website=Statista|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-date=30 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530192549/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/201622/umfrage/religionszugehoerigkeit-der-deutschen-nach-bundeslaendern/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a 2011 study of the region, German sociologist of religion and theologian [[:de:Michael N. Ebertz|Michael N. Ebertz]] and German television presenter and author [[:de:Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard|Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard]] concluded that "Six religious orientation types can be distinguished: 'Christians'—'non-Christian theists'—'Cosmotheists'—'[[Deism|Deists]], [[Pandeism|Pandeists]] and [[Polytheism|Polytheists]]'—'[[Atheism|Atheists]]'—'Others'“.<ref>[[Michael N. Ebertz]] and [[Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard]], ''[http://www.hr-online.de/servlet/de.hr.cms.servlet.File/Was+glauben+die+Hessen%3F+Die+komplette+Studie+als+pdf?enc=d3M9aHJteXNxbCZibG9iSWQ9MTQxNDQ1NjEmaWQ9NDczOTk0MTkmZm9yY2VEb3dubG9hZD0x Was glauben die Hessen?: Horizonte religiösen Lebens]'' (2011; republished 2014), p. 82.</ref>