What German region has a positive outlook on the future, which regions are lagging behind? The new Prognos Zukunftsatlas has answers. Exclusively published in the Handelsblatt on July 4.Interactive map of Germany (Handelsblatt.de)Top 10: Winners defend the top positionsThe Munich Metropolitan Region, the city of Erlangen and the city of Munich are defending their podium positions. The cities of Mainz and Regensburg have made it into the top 10. The strong South of Germany as well as the cities continue to dominate. Positions 1–10 of 400 districts and district-free cities in the Prognos Zukunftsatlas® 2025 Prognos AG Core results of the Zukunftsatlas 2025Economy in decline: Many regions have been affected by the crisis: Germany has been in recession since 2023, and many regions have seen a lack of momentum as a result. Unemployment has risen almost nationwide, with only 20 of the 400 districts and district-free cities showing lower unemployment than in the 2022 Zukunftsatlas. The employment figures are growing but slowly, and in 90 of the 400 districts and cities, employment rates fell in 2024 compared to 2021. The current recession is therefore a stress test for the regions’ resilience. The South continues to build on its strengths: Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have further expanded their strengths in the Zukunftsatlas 2025. In Baden-Württemberg, 91% of the districts and district-free cities are now in a position of future prospects, and in Bavaria more than 70%.NRW and Brandenburg are catching up: In North Rhine-Westphalia, almost half of the regions have climbed at least ten places in the ranking. In particular, the Ruhr area, Münsterland and the Rhenish mining district stand out positively. East Brandenburg has also greatly improved through large-scale investments such as Tesla, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport as well as structural funding awarded as part of the coal phase-out.Challenges have increased in Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony and Saarland: In Hesse, ten out of 26 districts have deteriorated in one of the future categories. Also in Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony, many regions are losing their place in the ranking and more regions are facing future risks.Renewable energies as a location factor: The North of Germany is particularly strong in terms of the addition of renewable energies from 2019 to 2023 as well as the already installed capacity. Ludwigslust-Parchim (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Dithmarschen (Schleswig-Holstein) and Uckermark (Brandenburg) make it into the top 3 for energy expansion.Innovation is an important factor for transformation processes and resilience: Future-oriented, resilient regions in Germany are characterised by a high level of innovation. Of the ten locations with the most R&D personnel in the economy, eight districts are in the top 50 of the overall ranking. In addition to major German automotive locations such as Wolfsburg, Böblingen and Ingolstadt, districts such as Tuttlingen and Biberach as well as cities such as Jena and Darmstadt also score points. Review of 20 years of the ZukunftsatlasThe Zukunftsatlas has been making regional developments visible for 20 years now. But who has made the most ground since 2004? And which regions are experiencing the greatest drop in ranking?Long-term winners: Over two decades, 31 regions have improved by more than 100 places.Many of these regions are located in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Both federal states are economically strong and have highly developed rural areas. Examples are: Dingolfing-Landau, Unterallgäu, Zollernalbkreis, OstalbkreisWhen looking at the eastern German states, the positive development of the city of Leipzig should be particularly emphasised.Berlin and the Brandenburg area surrounding Berlin have also improved considerably over the last 20 years.Long-term losers: 29 regions have gone down more than 100 places in the last 20 years. Many of them can be found in the west and northwest of Germany. The regions with traditionally industrial economic structures (in particular, coal and steel), which have undergone considerable structural change in recent decades, are particularly affected by this, i.e., Essen and Dortmund in the Ruhr region as well as Kaiserslautern, Worms and Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate.In the eastern German federal states, two thirds of the districts in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are struggling with future risks.Rural districts in Lower Saxony on the border with Saxony-Anhalt such as Goslar, Wolfenbüttel and Helmstedt, are also experiencing massive drops in the ranking.How the regions are getting ready for the futureStructural change, digitalisation and demographic changes present new challenges to cities and districts. As the Zukunftsatlas shows, each region has development opportunities: whether in cities or rural regions, there is potential everywhere to strengthen regional innovation and build sustainable economic structures. It is important that local policy recognises its own strengths and develops suitable strategies and future projects.How are the regions positioning themselves for the future with concrete projects ? This is shown on our new platform "Future Workshop Germany: Projects from the regions".Links & Downloads (in German)Get the Zukunftsaltas as PDFMore information on our methods and approach Read the FAQ ContactPress enquiriesTina LaubscherPress Relations ManageMail: presse@prognos.com Phone: +49 30 58 70 89-118Product enquiriesKathleen FreitagProjectlead ZukunftsatlasMail: zukunftsatlas@prognos.com Phone: +49 30 52 00 59-297