Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
Christmas is here! We all know the Germans love a good statistic, so to celebrate this special holiday we’ve rounded up some of our favourite facts and figures about Christmas in Germany.
The Christmas tree has to be one of the most beloved Christmas traditions - both in Germany and abroad. But did you know that almost all of Germany’s imported Christmas trees come from just one European country: Denmark!
According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 2 million Christmas trees were imported from Denmark to Germany in 2020, making up a whopping 91 percent of the 2,1 million imported trees that year. In 2019 the proportion was 88 percent.
The statistics don’t record the number of Christmas trees felled in Germany each year, but they do show where there are special areas created for their cultivation. In 2020, these Christmas tree farms covered an area of 15.900 hectares - roughly the same size as 25.000 football fields. 29 percent of them were in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Food is also an important part of Christmas in Germany, with some of the country’s traditional Christmas food items considered classic holiday treats elsewhere in the world as well. No wonder, then, that in 2020 Germany produced a grand total of 86.500 tons of gingerbread. Around 20.000 tons was exported, 60 percent of it to just four countries: Austria, Poland, France and the United Kingdom.
According to Statista, in the run-up to Christmas Germany produces 257,18 million euros’ worth of Christmas cookies like Lebkuchen, Honigkuchen and gingerbread - as well as an incredible 160 million chocolate Santa Clauses!
Blue carp is a dish traditionally eaten on Christmas Day in Germany. German companies produced 4.800 tons of the stuff in 2020 - three-quarters of which came from farms in Bavaria and Saxony.
And, finally, Christmas in Germany is also a time of giving - not only gifts but also charitable donations - and sees many people donate to good causes. Non-governmental organisations in Germany reported donations totalling 1,3 billion euros last year, according to Destatis.
Most of the money (39,8 percent) went to projects on the African continent, with the three main recipient countries being Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. 366 billion euros went to Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Syria.