Consulate General of India
Munich
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General and Bilateral Brief: Bavaria - India

Germany’s largest and southernmost state is a land rich in natural beauty, cultural heritage, lively traditions and warm hospitality. The free state of Bavaria consists of picturesque villages, medieval towns and the beautiful capital city of Munich. Bavaria’s opera festivals, cultural heritage sites, the Oktoberfest, hearty snacks in a beer garden are famous worldwide. It shares the border with Austria, the Czech Republic and, across Lake Constance, with Switzerland. Neighbouring German states are Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony. The Free State of Bavaria sprawls over 70,542 square kilometers, covers almost one-fifth of the total land area of Germany. It is home to more than 13.25 million inhabitants which is 2^nd largest of the 16 federal states of Germany, after North-Rhine Westphalia (18 million) Bavarian population is larger than 20 of the 27 EU countries.
Source: Destatis

Salient Features of Bavaria

Geography: Bavaria is a country of high plateaus and medium-sized mountains. The landscape of Bavaria can be subdivided into four major regions: The Alps, with the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany at 2,962 meters; the Alpine foothills with their numerous lakes; the Bavarian Forest with the first ever national park in Germany of the same name; the Swabian-Franconian cuesta landscape. The two major rivers that flow through Bavaria are the Danube (Donau) and the Main. Nature conservation and environmental protection are of high importance and have been an integral part of the Bavarian constitution. The German Alpine Association has set itself the task of making the Alps accessible while preserving the alpine environment.

Demography: After World War II, there was an influx of refugees from the Sudetenland and Eastern Europe where many ethnic Germans had lived for centuries. A significant proportion of Bavaria’s population at the beginning of the 21st century was composed of those refugees and their descendants. Beginning in the 1960s, the industrial areas received large numbers of migrant workers from southern Europe. Great changes took place in the religious composition of the population after the war, with a heavy influx of Protestants. In the early 21st century, most Bavarians were Roman Catholics and Evangelical Lutherans. 49% of the people are Roman Catholics and 19% Protestants. The Capital city Munich has a population of 1.6 million (as on 2025). 16 % of the population in Bavaria are foreigners, the share of which keeps steadily increasing. The majority from EU-countries are Romanians with 170,057 residents followed by Ukrainians with 171,508 in 2025. The largest migrant group from outside the EU comes from Turkey with more than 176,227 residents and Ukrainians with 171,508 in 2025.

Source: Destatis

Government: The Bavarian State has been ruled by the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) since 1957. In the State elections that were held on October 8^th 2023, the Christian Social Union (CSU) won the most votes. But only for the fourth time in post-war history, Bavaria's dominant political force had to share power in a coalition government. CSU and Free Voters formed a coalition Government. (Please refer to Annexure 1 for more detailed information) The Free Voters received 4 ministerial posts in the coalition. As Deputy Minister-President, the Free Voters’ party leader Hubert Aiwanger also took over the Ministry of Economics, Energy and Regional Development. Ministry of Education was handed over to Anna Stolz and Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection was taken over by Thorsten Glauber as well as the Ministry for Digital Affairs by Fabian Mehring. All other Ministries remained with the CSU. Markus Söder was re-elected as Minister-President of Bavaria. While the State of Bavaria is ruled by CSU and Free voters, the present Lord Mayor of Munich Mr. Dominik Krause is from the Green Party of Germany (Alliance 90/ The Greens).

Economy: Today, Bavaria is one of the strongest economic regions in Europe. The GDP per resident in Bavaria is € 62,200 (2025) which is well above the German (€ 53,516 in 2025) and EU (€ 41,620 in 2025) average making Bavaria one of the markets with the highest purchasing power in the world. The Bavarian economy and its growth are driven by knowledge-based industries and innovations with many of the flagship German brands located in Bavaria. The Bavarian State economy is fueled by the services sector with approx. 71.3% share, industry with 27.2% share and agriculture and forestry accounting for only 1.5%.

Main industries: Automobile industry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, communications, aerospace, IT, renewable energies and energy technologies etc. Natural resources: natural stone, clay, silica sand etc. Agricultural products: Dairy products, cheese, meat and meat products, sugar, beer, hops, etc. As a globally active market, Bavaria is home not only to global players such as Adidas, Allianz, Audi, BMW, MTU Aero Engines, MAN, Puma and Siemens, Munich Re, Infineon, Osram, Linde but also to a strong base of small and medium-sized businesses in industry, trades and the service sector. The famous football club FC Bayern is located in Munich. Since the year 2000, more than 200,000 new jobs have been created in Bavaria - which is the greatest growth in employment among all German states. The unemployment rate in Bavaria is 4.0% (2025) whereas the national rate is 6.3 % (2025).

Trade: The state's gross domestic product (GDP) is € 824.2 billion (2025) and the second highest among the 16 German states (after North-Rhine Westphalia - € 909.4 billion in 2025).

Higher Education: Bavarian institutions of higher education provide the best conditions for studies, with costs that are moderate when compared internationally. The bachelor and master study programmes are recognised worldwide, and two (Ludwig-Maximilian University (LMU) and Technical University of Munich (TUM) out of the ten state universities in Bavaria have earned the right to call themselves "Universities of Excellence". The Bavarian state is also home for world known German research and development institutions, namely, Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Society. The prestigious Goethe Institute is also located in the state, promoting German culture and language abroad. Bavaria offers a broad range of interesting fields of study. This is made possible by 17 state universities of applied sciences, 10 state universities, 6 state arts academies as well as numerous other institutions of higher education under the trusteeship of communities, churches or private organisations.

High-Tech and R&D: In total, there are more than 11,500 technology companies creating an ideal climate for growth and innovation. Products and services from the State of Bavaria are in high demand on the global market. The backbone of the Bavarian growth is its highly diverse small and medium-sized enterprises that are present throughout the state. The spectrum ranges from traditional skilled crafts and trades and highly specialised manufacturing services to research and development projects in high-tech fields associated with universities. Bavaria enjoys the 2^nd position amongst the patent generators in Germany with 12,575 patent applications in 2025, behind Baden-Württemberg (15,161 patent applications in 2025)
(Source: German Patent and Trade Mark Office).

India-Bavarian Relations

Germany is a strategic partner for India within the EU and the two countries enjoy a friendly and growing all-round relationship, both bilaterally and in the multi-lateral context. Germany is the regional leader for trade, investments, technical know-how and collaborations for India. In a way, the State of Bavaria could well be considered as an engine-within-engine driving the overall Indo-German relationship.

The People of Bavaria have tremendous goodwill, respect and affection for India. They have historically encouraged promotion of mutual awareness at their major universities including the study of Indian history and philosophy. The center of Indology at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich is amongst the oldest in Europe. The year 2005 marked the 500^th anniversary of trading contacts between Bavaria and India, when Bavarian business families from the cities of Augsburg/Nuremberg sponsored German trade missions to India as part of a Portuguese voyage in 1505. An important think-tank called the ‘Indian Institute’ has been working in Munich for over 80 years now. The famous Bavarian company Siemens constructed the first telegraph line between Kolkata and London in 1866. Built on such solid foundation, the Indo-Bavarian bilateral relationship has been growing exponentially over the last several years, especially since the opening-up of the Indian economy in the early 1990s.

Visits of Indian Delegations since 2014

Delegation visits from Bavaria to India since 2014

Indo-Bavarian Trade and Economic Ties: Within Germany, Bavaria is a major driving force for the fast-growing trade and economic ties between India and Germany. The Bavarian capital Munich is located in the heart of Europe as a valuable gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. There are chapters of ‘German Indian Round Tables (GIRT)’ that also works towards promotion of bilateral economic relations. The growing importance of the Indian market has prompted various German trade fair authorities for expanding their presence in India. Messe München, one of the best-known global trade fair authorities, organizes as many as eight of their key fairs in India followed by Messe Nuremberg which has organised two trade fairs in India. India’s two-way trade with Bavaria reached from € 2.11 billion in 2010 to €4.07 billion in 2022, to 3.85 billion in 2023 and to 4.36 billion in 2025, registering an increase of 92.8% during the period 2010 to 2022, Indian exports to Bavaria have increased from € 734 million to € 2.08 billion (2025), whereas Indian imports from Bavaria surged from €1.38 billion to € 2.28 billion (2025). (Please refer to Annexure 2 for the latest available figures and for more detailed information)

Bavaria investment in India: Bavaria-based companies have traditionally considered India as a reliable and promising economic partner. At present, some 350 Bavarian companies have their business ventures in India in different fields. Some of the big names include Siemens, BMW, Audi, MAN, Adidas, Allianz AG, Munich Re, Airbus, Infineon, Wacker Chemie, Osram, Linde, Krones, etc. Nearly 1,500 Bavarian companies maintain business relationship with India. Main imported areas are bearings, gears, gearing and driving elements; apparel of cotton (knitted or crocheted fabrics) and silk, articles of leather & leather clothes, machinery & apparatus for electricity production & distribution, pharmaceuticals, paints & varnishes, furniture, footwear etc.(Please refer to the fact sheet)

Indian investment in Bavaria: Besides encouraging German companies towards India, Bavaria is also very keen to project itself as a preferred destination for potential Indian investments. For this, they opened a representation office of Invest-in-Bavaria in Bengaluru in 2001 which has been upgraded to full representative office in 2013. Their main Chambers of Commerce and Industry remain actively involved in promoting business awareness through seminars, roundtables, and sector-specific presentations. At present, some 80 Indian companies have invested in Bavaria and the big names are: TCS, Wipro, L&T Infotech, Motherson, Infosys Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Lab, Aurobindo Pharma, Graphite India, Sona Group, etc. Top Indian import items from Bavaria are machinery and apparatus for electricity production, distribution; automotive components, bearing, gears and driving elements, machinery and tool, plastics, measuring and automatic control instruments and appliances, pumps and compressors; medical and surgical equipment and orthopaedic appliances, etc

Cultural Relations: Bavarians have a long standing and genuine affinity for Indian history, culture and tradition. Their Universities have produced several well-known Indologists. The Indology Department at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, is amongst the oldest in Germany. The Würzburg University established a Centre for Modern Indian Studies under the German Academic Exchange Services with a special programme called ‘A new passage to India’. Bavaria has a series of centers teaching Indian classical dances, yoga, meditation and promoting Ayurveda. Indian food is also highly popular. Munich has the reputation of having several well-run Indian restaurants. Bollywood is becoming increasingly popular. There are several local groups promoting Bollywood dancing. The well-known ‘Indien-Institut’ has been operating from Munich for over 80 years and organises cultural and educational programmes regularly. Besides, local chapters of various Indo-German friendship societies like Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft (DIG) also actively promote bilateral relations including the cultural domain. An interesting aspect of the cultural cooperation between India and Bavaria may be seen in the enthusiasm of the City of Königsbrunn which has installed the Mahatma Gandhi Statue in their Town Hall in 2010. The Consulate celebrates Gandhi Jayanti every year at this site. Zee One, the first Bollywood free-to-air channel in Germany featuring Bollywood films and popular Indian TV series, was launched on 29^th July 2016 in Munich with a view to enhance the perception of India in Germany. Reputed Bavarian football Club, FC Bayern Munich, has entered into some arrangement with the Football Clubs from India for cooperation in training and coaching. The Munich city authority actively supported Consulate in hosting ‘IDY’ 2021 including a cycle rally on Independence Day 2021.

Cooperation in Education & Research: German Universities in general and the Bavarian Universities in particular are keen to have a higher number of exchanges for scholars, researchers and students in all fields, more so in science and technology. For this, the Hof University of Applied Science has set up a Bavarian-Indian Centre for Business and University Cooperation (BayIND) in July 2009, with an objective to coordinate and promote cooperation between Bavarian and Indian Universities. BayIND is supported by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research and Arts as well as by the Association of the Bavarian Business (VBW). Currently, there are around 59,000 Indian students in various universities and educational institutions in Germany and out of this around 12.539 (winter semester 2025/2026) Indian students are studying in Bavaria. Bavaria is also encouraging an increased number of their students to go to India for higher education and hence for their studies. They have instituted three annual Minister-President’s scholarships for Bavarian students to study in India. Ludwig Maximillian University, Munich also has a representative office in Mumbai.

Cooperation in Vocational Training: During the visit of the Prime Minister to Germany for the 2^nd round of India-Germany Intergovernmental consultations in April 2013, many useful MoUs were signed in the areas of Vocational Training and Education, etc. with entities from Bavaria such as the Hof University of Applied Sciences and the Bavarian Employers’ Association. A joint effort was made by the G.D. Weiler Group which has now received full accreditation by the Chamber of Commerce (IHK), Nuremberg. The Government of Karnataka is in the process of negotiating MOUs for vocational, educational training and skill development with agencies such as the BFZ GmbH, BayIND, GDW Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH and BSI. In 2015, the Training and Development Center of the Bavarian Employers’ Association (bfz) GmbH has been selected to carry out a project for modernizing the state-owned key institutes for vocational education and training personnel under a program of the Indian Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T).

Bavaria-Karnataka Cooperation: During the visit of the then Minister President of Bavaria, Dr. Edmund Stoiber to Karnataka in April 2007, he signed a MoU with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy for enhanced State-to-State cooperation in the fields of commerce, industry, technology, research, infrastructure, tourism and other related areas. With a view to implement the objectives of the MoU, the two States (represented by Shri Murugesh R. Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka and Ms. Emilia Mueller, State Minister for Federal and European Affairs in the Bavarian State Chancellery) have signed a concrete action plan on June 30, 2009, on the margins of the Global India Business Meet (GIBM) 2009 in Munich. The Bavarian State Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Ms. Emilia Mueller, visited Karnataka in July 2009 and signed an implementation programme for joint action on clearly identified projects. The MoU focuses on enhanced cooperation in the areas of science and research, environment, industry, film and media, and education. The visit of Dr.G.Parameshwara, Home Minister of Karnataka, to Munich from June 20-24^th, 2016 was aimed at giving further impetus to the MOU signed in 2007 and at enhancing cooperation between Bavaria and Karnataka in security and related areas with special focus on the “Safe City” concept. Police delegations from both the states have paid reciprocal visits.

Co-operation in Applied research: The elite Fraunhofer Society established its representative office in Bengaluru on 30 October 2012. In 2015, the Frauenhofer Society signed several MoUs with the Ministry of Heavy Industries Government of India, the HMT Limited and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)

Indian Community in Bavaria: According to official figures, Bavaria is home to around 56,945 (2025) Indian nationals. The people of Indian origin in Bavaria includes IT professionals, businessmen and traders, restaurant operators, students and researchers. According to the latest figures, there are approx. 12.539 students in Bavarian universities and universities of applied sciences. The Indian community generally commands a great deal of respect for being hard working, progressive, open-minded and tolerant. 

Connectivity: The Bavarian capital Munich is emerging as an important hub for connecting Indian travellers to various parts of Europe, North America and vice-a-versa. Lufthansa currently operates daily flights from Munich to Delhi as well as from Munich to Mumbai. 

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 Annexure: 1

Bavarian State Government

Annexure:2

Macro-economic data: Bavaria and Germany

India Bavaria /Germany Trade data

(Value in million euros)

Total Bavaria and German Trade

(Value in billion euros)

Source: Aussenhandel Bayern Report