Bonn, Düsseldorf and Freiburg at the top of major cities
In the family-friendliness index of the City Ranking 2026, the federal city of Bonn took first place among 71 examined major German cities. The special evaluation was conducted by IW Consult on behalf of WirtschaftsWoche and ImmoScout24. The study examined conditions for families across three core areas: childcare and early education, educational access, and leisure activities. The qualitative and quantitative assessment incorporated criteria such as childcare coverage rates, staff-to-child ratios, school-leaving qualifications, and the accessibility of daycare centres, primary schools, swimming pools and playgrounds.
Bonn owes its top position to the interplay of reliable care structures and a high level of education. The city ranks fourth in childcare and early education and second in educational access, underpinned by a low rate of 3.5 per cent for school leavers without a certificate. In the leisure facilities category, Bonn achieved 19th place. Düsseldorf follows in second place in the overall ranking. The North Rhine-Westphalian state capital is the only municipality to position itself among the top ten cities across all three subcategories. Freiburg im Breisgau took third place: the city leads the sub-ranking for leisure opportunities and achieved second place in early childcare, but falls back to 35th place for educational access.
Economic hubs in front, eastern Germany strong in childcare rates
The other top places in the overall ranking are occupied by Berlin in fourth place and Stuttgart in fifth. The subsequent ranks are followed by Karlsruhe, Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt, Munich and Cologne. Numerous leading economic hubs thus also place in the top group for family infrastructure. At the lower end of the index, Saarbrücken ranks in 71st place, Chemnitz in 70th and Salzgitter in 69th, followed by Hagen and Kaiserslautern.
Dr Gesa Crockford, Managing Director of ImmoScout24, assessed the results by noting that when families search for a home, the surrounding environment is decisive alongside the property itself. Distances to childcare facilities and schools, as well as sports and play opportunities close to home, significantly determine how smoothly everyday life functions. The survey provides transparency on where families encounter the most viable conditions.
A distinct regional profile emerges in the pure childcare coverage rates, where eastern German municipalities dominate the leading positions. In the group of children under three years of age, Rostock, Magdeburg and Potsdam occupy the top three places, followed by Jena, Dresden, Erfurt, Leipzig and Halle an der Saale. Rostock is also at the top among children aged three to under six, followed by Potsdam and Halle an der Saale. However, as the overall index also incorporates quality criteria such as staff-to-child ratios and accessibility, high coverage rates alone do not guarantee a leading position in the overall field.
The study also shows that a higher average age of the urban population does not stand in the way of strong family provision. Rostock achieved 21st place in the overall results, even though the city only ranked 68th for age structure. Mülheim an der Ruhr shows a similar discrepancy: ranking 69th in the age comparison, the city secured 22nd place in the family-friendliness index. Targeted investments in childcare, education and leisure spaces therefore remain decisive for location attractiveness.
