Digital Visibility: East vs. West – How Germany’s Federal States Perform Online
In the digital space, the western federal states take the lead — yet Thuringia and Brandenburg exceed the national average when it comes to engagement.
In our latest study, we analyzed the digital presence of all 16 federal states. The results show: while Hamburg and Bremen effectively translate their smaller size into strong reach, Berlin leaves the biggest digital footprint through hashtags and search queries.
Small City-States, Big Impact – Hamburg Has the Most Followers
With more than 342,000 Instagram followers and 181 followers per 1,000 inhabitants, Hamburg ranks first among all federal states. Bremen also performs impressively, with 103 followers per 1,000 inhabitants. The highest engagement rate by far is achieved by Saarland, with 6.61%, placing it well ahead of all other states. At the bottom are large, populous states such as Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, which, despite millions of residents, generate minimal reach on their official social media marketing channels — with only around three followers per 1,000 inhabitants.
Berlin Leads in Hashtag Visibility
In terms of hashtag usage, Berlin shows the strongest visibility: around 56 million posts include the hashtag #Berlin. Hamburg follows with 24.8 million posts, and Bavaria with 11.6 million. Saxony-Anhalt ranks last with only 884,000 posts.
Berlin Is Also the Most Searched Federal State
According to Google Trends, Berlin tops the ranking with around 1 million monthly searches. Hamburg follows with 823,000, and Bremen with 550,000 searches. At the lower end are Saxony-Anhalt (74,000) as well as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia, each with around 90,000 searches.
Western States Dominate, Eastern States Excel in Niches
In the comparison between East and West Germany, the western states perform better overall in terms of reach and search volume. Hamburg, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg dominate the rankings for followers and hashtags. However, the eastern states are catching up: Thuringia and Brandenburg stand out with above-average engagement rates, while Saxony performs solidly in hashtag usage.
“Our study shows that digital visibility has become a key location factor — even for federal states.
A strong presence on social media and Google strengthens image, tourism, and regional marketing.
Notably, smaller states like Hamburg and Bremen use their reach more efficiently, while populous states such as North Rhine-Westphalia or Hesse still have room for growth.
This indicates that search engine visibility only partially reflects social media presence,”
explains Matthias Lange, Founder and CEO of Localyzer.
About the Study
For this analysis, Localyzer examined the Instagram profiles of marketing and tourism accounts across all 16 German federal states using the Social Blade platform.
Metrics collected included: number of followers, followers per 1,000 inhabitants, number of posts, engagement rate, and average likes and comments.
For Schleswig-Holstein, data on engagement rate, average likes, and comments was unavailable.
Additionally, visibility was assessed via the number of Instagram hashtag posts (#StateName) and average monthly Google search volume.
When interpreting search data, it is important to note that city-states such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen benefit from their dual status as both city and state — users frequently search for city names, boosting their visibility in search engines.
Nevertheless, all German states can be searched nationwide, ensuring a fair comparison across regions.
Image: @https://unsplash.com/de/@seanzielinski
