Germany Divided

Fun facts

Fun fact · Our own analysis of OpenStreetMap data, not official statistics. How we measured it

Speed cameras

Fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants, OpenStreetMap, September 2026

The old border hardly matters (6.0 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants in the East, 6.5 in the West), but the states could not be more different: Baden-Württemberg has 13.8, 13 times as many as Bavaria (1.1).

< 4.04.08.012.016.0≥ 20.0

Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·401 districts · September 2026

Former West

6.5

excl. Berlin

Former East

6.0

excl. Berlin

Berlin

1.7

Figures in fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants

The East stands at 92% of the West's level (September 2026).

By state

Former WestFormer EastBerlin
  1. Baden-Württemberg13.8
  2. Hessen13.6
  3. Brandenburg8.8
  4. Bremen7.8
  5. Niedersachsen7.3
  6. Sachsen6.6
  7. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern6.2
  8. Saarland5.7
  9. Nordrhein-Westfalen5.2
  10. Thüringen4.1
  11. Sachsen-Anhalt3.0
  12. Schleswig-Holstein2.8
  13. Rheinland-Pfalz2.3
  14. Berlin1.7
  15. Hamburg1.7
  16. Bayern1.1

September 2026

How we measured this

We counted every fixed speed camera (highway=speed_camera) in OpenStreetMap and divided by the population on 31 December 2025. Mobile and average-speed checks are not included. We counted with the QLever SPARQL service (University of Freiburg) on the OpenStreetMap planet file of 21 September 2026; each place is assigned to the state or district whose boundary contains it. Rates are our calculation with official denominators.

  • Camera locations are mapped by drivers and volunteers; some states and towns are covered better than others.
  • OpenStreetMap is compiled by volunteers. Coverage in Germany is good but not complete, and it varies with how active local mappers are.
  • Our counts are released under the Open Database License (ODbL), as OpenStreetMap requires.
Show the table
StateSideSeptember 2026
Saarlandwest5.7 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Berlinberlin1.7 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Brandenburgeast8.8 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Mecklenburg-Vorpommerneast6.2 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Sachseneast6.6 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Sachsen-Anhalteast3.0 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Thüringeneast4.1 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Schleswig-Holsteinwest2.8 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Hamburgwest1.7 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Niedersachsenwest7.3 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Bremenwest7.8 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Nordrhein-Westfalenwest5.2 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Hessenwest13.6 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Rheinland-Pfalzwest2.3 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Baden-Württembergwest13.8 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants
Bayernwest1.1 fixed speed cameras per 100,000 inhabitants