Editing North Rhine-Westphalia (section)

==Demographics==
<!-- These two images can be replaced by daytime photos if available and/or wanted. -->{{See also|List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population}}

[[File:Stadtbild Köln (50MP).jpg|thumb|[[Cologne]]]]
[[File:Düsseldorf-Altstadt.png|thumb|[[Düsseldorf]]]]

North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 18.1 million inhabitants (more than the entire [[former East Germany]], and slightly more than the [[Netherlands]]) and is centred around the polycentric [[Rhine-Ruhr]] [[Metropolitan regions in Germany|metropolitan region]], which includes the industrial [[Ruhr]] region with the largest city of [[Dortmund]] and the Rhenish cities of [[Bonn]], [[Cologne]] and [[Düsseldorf]]. 30 of the [[List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants|80 largest cities in Germany]] are located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2022, there were 164,496 births and 234,176 deaths. 

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="max-width: 22em"
|+ Significant foreign resident populations<ref>[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung2010200147004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile] 31 December 2014 German Statistical Office. 
[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/MigrationIntegration/AuslaendBevoelkerung.html ''Zensus 2014: Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2014'']</ref>
|-
! Nationality || Population (2022) || Population (2023)
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}} || 487,145 || 492,460
|-
| {{flag|Syria}} || 271,275 || 286,035
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}} || 243,150 || 251,195
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || 221,530 || 222,360
|-
| {{flag|Romania}} || 164,480 || 168,710
|-
| {{flag|Italy}} || 143,165 || 141,135
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 97,615 || 106,165
|-
| {{flag|Greece}} || 102,425 || 98,225
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}} || 94,385 || 94,420
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}} || 68,590 || 70,195
|-
| {{flag|Afghanistan}} || 62,375 || 69,335
|-
| {{flag|Netherlands}} || 70,315 || 68,760
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}} || 65,580 || 68,570
|-
| {{flag|Russia}} || 52,735 || 59,070
|-
| {{flag|Spain}} || 56,180 || 58,010
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}} || 58,635 || 57,070
|-
| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} || 45,305 || 46,925
|-
| {{flag|Morocco}} || 47,695 || 44,115
|}

The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="text-align:center; background:#bbffbb"|Pos. 
!style="text-align:center; background:#bbffbb"|Name 
!style="text-align:center; background:#bbffbb"|Pop. 2020
!style="text-align:center; background:#bbffbb"|Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
!style="text-align:center; background:#bbffbb"|Pop. per km<sup>2</sup>
! style="text-align:center;" class="unsortable"| Map 
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 1 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Cologne]] || 1,083,498 || 405.15 || 2,668 || rowspan="10" |[[File:North Rhine-Westphalia location map 02.svg|250px]]
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 2 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Düsseldorf]] || 620,523 || 217.01 || 2,839
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 3 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Dortmund]] || 587,696 || 280.37 || 2,090
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 4 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Essen]] || 582,415 || 210.38 || 2,774
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 5 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Duisburg]] || 495,885 || 232.81 || 2,140
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 6 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Bochum]] || 364,454 || 145.43 || 2,509
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 7 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Wuppertal]] || 355,004 || 168.37 || 2,100
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 8 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Bielefeld]] || 333,509 || 257.83 || 1,285
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 9 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Bonn]] || 330,579 || 141.22 || 2,307
|- style="text-align:right;"
| style="text-align:left;"| 10 || style="text-align:left;"| [[Münster]] || 316,403 || 302.91 || 1,034
|}

===Historical population===
The following table shows the population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965 the population at year end is used. 
{{historical populations|align=none|cols=3
| percentages = pagr
| source = <ref name="EWZ">{{cite web |url=https://www.landesdatenbank.nrw.de/ldbnrw/online/logon |publisher=Landesbetrieb für Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen|work=Landesdatenbank Nordrhein-Westfalen|title=Bevölkerung NRW|quote=Zahlen sind Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes. Die Zahlen ab 1965 beziehen sich auf die Bevölkerung zum 31. Dezember des jeweiligen Jahres. Bis 1960 Mittlere Jahresbevölkerung. Bis einschließlich 1986 geschätzte Werte. Die Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes basiert ab 1987 auf den Ergebnissen der Volkszählung von 1987. Daten vor 1977 wurden auf den Gebietsstand 1. Juli 1976 umgerechnet|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref>
| 1930 | 11,407,000
| 1940 | 12,059,000
| 1950 | 12,926,000
| 1955 | 14,442,000
| 1960 | 15,694,000
| 1965 | 16,619,450
| 1970 | 17,033,651
| 1975 | 17,129,200
| 1980 | 17,057,488
| 1985 | 16,674,001
| 1990 | 17,349,651
| 1995 | 17,893,045
|2001|18,052,092|2011|17,538,251|2022|17,890,489}}

===Vital statistics===
*Births from January–September 2016 = {{increase}} 130,025
*Births from January–September 2017 = {{increase}} 130,088
*Deaths from January–September 2016 = {{decreasepositive}} 150,018
*Deaths from January–September 2017 = {{increasenegative}} 153,435
*Natural growth from January–September 2016 = {{increase}} −19,993
*Natural growth from January–September 2017 = {{decrease}} −23,347
Source: ''Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder''<ref>{{cite web|title=Bevölkerung|url=https://www.statistikportal.de/de/bevoelkerung|access-date=13 October 2023|website=Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{bar box
|title=Religion in North Rhine-Westphalia, 2020<ref name="ekd2020">[https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2020.pdf Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchenmitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2020] EKD, November 2021</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church in Germany|Roman Catholicism]]|DarkOrchid|32.7}}
{{bar percent|Other or [[Irreligion|none]]|SlateGray|46.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestant Church in Germany|EKD Protestantism]]|DodgerBlue|20.8}}
}}

{{As of|2023}}, 32.7% of the population of the state adhered to the [[Roman Catholic Church]], 20.8% to the [[Protestant Church in Germany]], and 46.5% of the population was [[Irreligion in Germany|irreligious]] or adhered to other denominations or religions. North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population among German states for both Roman Catholics and Protestants.<ref>https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Bericht_KiMi_2023_Bericht.pdf</ref>

In 2016, the interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia reported that the number of mosques with a [[Islam in Germany#Salafism|Salafist]] [[International propagation of Salafism and Wahhabism|influence]] had increased from three to nine, which indicated both an actual increase and improved reporting.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title=Verfassungsschutz: Salafisten agitieren in NRW in 55 Moscheen |url=https://rp-online.de/nrw/panorama/nrw-salafisten-agitieren-in-55-moscheen_aid-18340503 |location=[[Düsseldorf]] |work=[[Rheinische Post]] |language=de |access-date=24 February 2022}}</ref> According to German authorities, [[Salafi movement|Salafism]] is incompatible with the principles codified in the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany]], in particular: [[democracy]], the [[rule of law]], and political order based on [[human rights]].<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title=Salafismus |url=http://www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de/islamismus/definition/erscheinungsformen/salafismus/index.html |url-status=live |website=www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de |language=de |location=[[Munich]] |publisher=[[Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution|Bayerisches Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228220414/https://www.verfassungsschutz.bayern.de/islamismus/definition/erscheinungsformen/salafismus/index.html |archive-date=28 December 2021 |access-date=24 February 2022}}</ref>