Saarland, Germany

🇩🇪 The Saarland is a state of Germany in the west of the country. It is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states, and the second smallest in population. Saarbrücken is the state capital and largest city; other cities include Neunkirchen and Saarlouis. Saarland is mainly surrounded by the department of Moselle in France to the west and south and the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany to the north and east; it also shares a small border about 8 km long with the canton of Remich in Luxembourg to the north-west.

Economy The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was €35.4 billion in 2018, accounting for 1.1% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €32,800 or 109% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 93% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the second lowest of all states in West Germany.

Important income sources are the automobile industry, steel industry, ceramic industry and computer science and information systems industry. In the past, coal mining was an important branch of industry. However, the last coal mine in Saarland closed in 2012, ending 250 years of coal mining history in the region. The decision to close the mines was motivated by safety concerns about earthquakes in the region.

The unemployment rate stood at 5.8% in October 2018 and was higher than the national average but below the EU28 average.